Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Short Interest Update

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 64,800 shares, an increase of 44.3% from the August 15th total of 44,900 shares. Currently, 2.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 23,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 534 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.84, for a total transaction of $59,722.56. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,424 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,501,340.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 534 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.84, for a total value of $59,722.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,501,340.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 107,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,237,333.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,343 shares of company stock valued at $4,556,534 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter worth $114,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 6.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $120.11 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.28. Willis Lease Finance has a one year low of $39.50 and a one year high of $121.13. The company has a market cap of $790.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $93.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.57.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 18.16%. The firm had revenue of $151.12 million for the quarter.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.83%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.52%.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.