Short Interest in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Increases By 36.9%

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 166,300 shares, a growth of 36.9% from the December 15th total of 121,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 46,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 7.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 6.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC opened at $202.99 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $208.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $151.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Willis Lease Finance has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 1.11.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.09%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.31, for a total transaction of $4,066,200.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 81,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,501,452.84. This represents a 19.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.19, for a total value of $1,000,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,005,241.45. This trade represents a 6.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,164,310 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter worth about $4,136,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 173.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,990 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,421,000 after acquiring an additional 14,590 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,912,000 after acquiring an additional 9,326 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 48.0% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,663 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,628,000 after purchasing an additional 5,731 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the third quarter valued at approximately $531,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th.

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.