Northern Trust Corp Acquires 1,687 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,118 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,687 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.46% of Willis Lease Finance worth $6,251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $104,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 780.8% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 687 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Rangeley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total value of $704,283.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 158,034 shares in the company, valued at $32,261,060.76. The trade was a 2.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $927,297.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,465 shares of company stock worth $2,439,074. 53.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $138.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $151.25 and a 200-day moving average of $183.14. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 12 month low of $58.63 and a 12 month high of $235.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 1.13.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.41 by ($2.20). The company had revenue of $157.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

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.