Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average of $52.28

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $52.28 and traded as high as $60.03. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $58.70, with a volume of 8,476 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WLFC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. TheStreet cut Willis Lease Finance from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $59.39 and a 200 day moving average of $52.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $385.66 million, a PE ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 1.08.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The transportation company reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 13.45%. The business had revenue of $119.08 million during the quarter.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, insider Hans Jorg Hunziker sold 1,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.90, for a total value of $68,399.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,335,306.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Hans Jorg Hunziker sold 1,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.90, for a total value of $68,399.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,572 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,335,306.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 2,637 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.72, for a total value of $136,385.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 107,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,565,899.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,996 shares of company stock worth $3,023,426. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at about $114,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at about $225,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake 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 valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,204,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. 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.