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

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 107,600 shares, a growth of 50.3% from the September 30th total of 71,600 shares. Approximately 4.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 32,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,180,723.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,187 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.17, for a total value of $126,023.79. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 96,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,254,854.13. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares in the company, valued at $10,180,723.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,903 shares of company stock worth $4,123,692 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth about $44,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at $146,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

NASDAQ WLFC opened at $181.77 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. Willis Lease Finance has a 12-month low of $42.61 and a 12-month high of $214.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $139.60 and its 200-day moving average is $93.66. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st.

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.