Scott B. Flaherty Sells 2,637 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 2,637 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.72, for a total transaction of $136,385.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 107,616 shares in the company, valued at $5,565,899.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of WLFC opened at $56.71 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $49.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.78. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 12-month low of $37.01 and a 12-month high of $58.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $372.58 million, a P/E ratio of 6.53 and a beta of 0.99.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 13.45% and a return on equity of 13.77%. The business had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WLFC shares. TheStreet lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter worth about $308,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at about $225,000. Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.