Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Short Interest Down 20.1% in March

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,700 shares, a decrease of 20.1% from the March 15th total of 20,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 8,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of WLFC opened at $48.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $335.87 million, a PE ratio of 7.86 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.11. Willis Lease Finance has a 12-month low of $37.01 and a 12-month high of $59.99.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 10.46% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $114.28 million for the quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. TheStreet downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 522 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.51, for a total transaction of $25,844.22. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 912,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,165,299.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Willis Lease Finance news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 522 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.51, for a total value of $25,844.22. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 912,246 shares in the company, valued at $45,165,299.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 694 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.51, for a total value of $32,277.94. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 921,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,848,500.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,983 shares of company stock valued at $385,933. Corporate insiders own 54.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 91.4% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 846 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4,079.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 1,003 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 590.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,443 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.