Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Short Interest Up 24.8% in October

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 134,300 shares, an increase of 24.8% from the October 15th total of 107,600 shares. Approximately 6.0% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $10.35 on Friday, reaching $190.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 23,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,636. The stock's 50-day moving average is $163.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.42. Willis Lease Finance 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 current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.06.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 7.09%.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,180,723.86. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,077 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.62, for a total transaction of $111,598.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,558,859.28. This trade represents a 6.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,750 shares of company stock valued at $8,617,901. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,204,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter worth approximately $114,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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.