Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 113,000 shares, a decline of 16.9% from the November 15th total of 136,000 shares. Approximately 4.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 43,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $209.99 on Monday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $45.32 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $195.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.58. The stock has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 1.09.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 7.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rae Ann Mckeating sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $97,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,206,280. This represents a 2.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $1,000,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,005,241.45. This trade represents a 6.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,164,310 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,204,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 67,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,975,000 after purchasing an additional 1,886 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,926 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,941,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased 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 buying an additional 9,326 shares during the period. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter worth $4,136,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Willis Lease Finance

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.