1,042 Shares in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,042 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $216,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at about $16,268,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,493,000 after purchasing an additional 19,078 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $106,154,000 after purchasing an additional 17,500 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,819,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,539 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.90, for a total value of $263,015.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 69,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,842,686.40. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $544,479.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 206,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,612,556.08. The trade was a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,465 shares of company stock worth $2,439,074 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 53.85% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC opened at $138.27 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $151.82 and a 200-day moving average of $183.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.63 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.41 by ($2.20). The company had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.56% and a return on equity of 20.62%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

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.