Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $154.49 and last traded at $153.47, with a volume of 4539 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $151.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $113.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.70. The company has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 18.16%. The firm had revenue of $151.12 million during the quarter.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 11.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,314 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.84, for a total transaction of $139,073.76. Following the sale, the president now owns 99,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,540,288.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,314 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.84, for a total transaction of $139,073.76. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 99,587 shares in the company, valued at $10,540,288.08. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,378 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $146,977.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,119 shares of the company's stock, valued at $759,312.54. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,903 shares of company stock valued at $4,123,692 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter worth approximately $146,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company 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.