Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $220.16 and last traded at $217.79, with a volume of 112024 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $180.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.34.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.08, for a total transaction of $112,798.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 27,905 shares in the company, valued at $2,569,492.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,225 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.08, for a total value of $112,798.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,569,492.40. 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 at this link. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,314 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.84, for a total value of $139,073.76. Following the transaction, the president now owns 99,587 shares in the company, valued at $10,540,288.08. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,903 shares of company stock valued at $4,123,692. 57.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $5,204,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.