Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 31,566 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 5% from the previous session's volume of 33,138 shares.The stock last traded at $142.57 and had previously closed at $139.65.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 2.2 %

The company has a market cap of $943.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock's fifty day moving average is $169.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.14.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $2.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $152.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $145.54 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 18.56%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 6.50%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,539 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.90, for a total value of $263,015.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 69,296 shares in the company, valued at $11,842,686.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total transaction of $704,283.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 158,034 shares in the company, valued at $32,261,060.76. The trade was a 2.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,465 shares of company stock valued at $2,439,074 in the last ninety days. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 205,266.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,161 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $973,000 after purchasing an additional 6,158 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1,213.8% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,759 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 2,549 shares during the period. Palisades Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 20,928 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,344,000 after acquiring an additional 1,808 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $897,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 5,783 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.