Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 166,300 shares, an increase of 36.9% from the December 31st total of 121,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 46,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 7.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Director Rae Ann Mckeating sold 500 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $97,160.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,206,280. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.31, for a total value of $4,066,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 25,500 shares of company stock worth $5,164,310. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth $16,268,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 2.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 67,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,975,000 after acquiring an additional 1,886 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,926 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,941,000 after acquiring an additional 2,805 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,187,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at $4,136,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $192.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s fifty day moving average is $206.13 and its 200 day moving average is $160.55. Willis Lease Finance has a twelve month low of $46.70 and a twelve month high of $235.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.37 EPS for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 18.56%. The firm had revenue of $146.22 million for the quarter.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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.