Navellier & Associates Inc. Buys New Shares in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Navellier & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,529 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $525,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. owned about 0.05% of Willis Lease Finance as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,204,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

WLFC stock traded up $8.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $207.26. 58,797 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,324. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $171.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.41. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 52 week low of $44.07 and a 52 week high of $235.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.31, for a total value of $4,066,200.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 81,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,501,452.84. This trade represents a 19.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 643 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.37, for a total value of $70,324.91. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 11,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,220,678.57. The trade was a 5.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 47,860 shares of company stock valued at $7,575,964 in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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.