Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) CFO Sells 2,200 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.43, for a total value of $110,946.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 110,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,580,230.79. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.3 %

Willis Lease Finance stock traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $50.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,353. The firm has a market capitalization of $344.58 million, a PE ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 1.01. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 1 year low of $37.01 and a 1 year high of $52.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $48.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.80.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 10.34% and a net margin of 10.46%. The business had revenue of $114.28 million during the quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TheStreet lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 277.8% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 154,312 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,038,000 after purchasing an additional 113,471 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 24,871.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 39,455 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,328,000 after buying an additional 39,297 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 101.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 53,480 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,093,000 after buying an additional 26,985 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 274.6% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 31,435 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 23,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 256.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,657 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 21,339 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.