Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC Shares Bought by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 11,745 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 1.08% of Willis Lease Finance worth $11,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. M3F Inc. lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% in the first quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $84,397,000 after acquiring an additional 30,032 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 50,634.3% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 17,757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,805,000 after acquiring an additional 17,722 shares during the last quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 112.9% in the first quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 19,800 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,128,000 after purchasing an additional 10,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $24,096,000 after purchasing an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 39,839 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,688,000 after purchasing an additional 7,196 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total value of $430,168.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 182,663 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,110,522.76. The trade was a 1.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $120.39 on Wednesday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52 week low of $114.01 and a 52 week high of $229.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $128.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $820.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.16 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 5.55, a current ratio of 5.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The firm had revenue of $154.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.58%.

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.