Short Interest in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Expands By 24.8%

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 134,300 shares, a growth of 24.8% from the October 15th total of 107,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Currently, 6.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 0.6 %

WLFC stock opened at $201.01 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $163.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.06. Willis Lease Finance has a fifty-two week low of $43.73 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued 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 0.50%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 7.09%.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of the 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 sale, the president now directly owns 81,164 shares in the company, valued at $16,501,452.84. This represents a 19.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.84, for a total transaction of $59,722.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 13,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,501,340.16. This trade represents a 3.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 57,750 shares of company stock valued at $8,617,901. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the third quarter valued at $312,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth about $69,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter valued at approximately $114,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut 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.