Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $138.12 and traded as high as $166.75. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $160.13, with a volume of 59,038 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 3.7%

The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $131.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.88.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.79% and a return on equity of 20.58%. The company had revenue of $154.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 9.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.31, for a total transaction of $453,254.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 174,273 shares in the company, valued at $23,232,333.63. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 15,600 shares of company stock valued at $1,959,176 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 22.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 365 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Palisades Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.5% during the third quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 20,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,845,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 32.7% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.