Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Holdings Lessened by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management lessened its position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 10.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,486 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 292 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Willis Lease Finance were worth $393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 780.8% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 687 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $143,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total transaction of $1,529,437.50. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 987,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,188,903.70. This represents a 1.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $927,297.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 39,165 shares of company stock valued at $5,681,512 over the last quarter. 53.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

NASDAQ WLFC opened at $141.91 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.05. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.63 and a 52-week high of $235.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 1.05.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its earnings results 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). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The firm had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd.

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.