Jane Street Group LLC Buys New Position in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,571 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $531,000. Jane Street Group LLC owned about 0.05% of Willis Lease Finance as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,926 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,941,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares in the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at $4,136,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Willis Lease Finance by 173.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,990 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,421,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at about $525,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,663 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,628,000 after purchasing an additional 5,731 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.6 %

WLFC traded down $3.49 during trading on Monday, hitting $214.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 21,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,161. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a twelve month low of $45.32 and a twelve month high of $235.43. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $204.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 15.17 and a beta of 1.11.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.31, for a total transaction of $4,066,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 81,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,501,452.84. The trade was a 19.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rae Ann Mckeating sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $97,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,206,280. The trade was a 2.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,164,310. Insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th.

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.