Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 31,566 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 5% from the previous session’s volume of 33,138 shares.The stock last traded at $142.57 and had previously closed at $139.65.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $923.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $172.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.92.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.92. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.56% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The business had revenue of $152.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $145.54 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 6.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,539 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.90, for a total value of $263,015.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 69,296 shares in the company, valued at $11,842,686.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $544,479.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 206,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,612,556.08. This represents a 1.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 13,465 shares of company stock valued at $2,439,074. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $16,268,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,493,000 after acquiring an additional 19,078 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $106,154,000 after acquiring an additional 17,500 shares during the last quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,930,000. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth $1,819,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.