Vanguard Group Inc. Has $29.49 Million Stake in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 142,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,078 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 2.15% of Willis Lease Finance worth $29,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $104,000. Truist Financial Corp acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Lakewood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at $227,000. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the third quarter worth $283,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $140.06 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.58. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 12-month low of $48.10 and a 12-month high of $235.43. The firm has a market cap of $925.24 million, a P/E ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $2.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $152.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $145.54 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 18.56%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.50%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $927,297.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,270 shares in the company, valued at $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total transaction of $704,283.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 158,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,261,060.76. This represents a 2.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,465 shares of company stock worth $2,439,074 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance 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.