Navellier & Associates Inc. Buys Shares of 3,529 Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,529 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WLFC. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 39.4% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,912,000 after buying an additional 9,326 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 17,663 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,628,000 after acquiring an additional 5,731 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 3rd quarter worth about $312,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.19, for a total transaction of $1,000,950.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,005,241.45. This trade represents a 6.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rae Ann Mckeating sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $97,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,500 shares in the company, valued at $3,206,280. This trade represents a 2.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 47,860 shares of company stock valued at $7,575,964. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock opened at $199.14 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. The stock 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 12-month low of $44.07 and a 12-month high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.09%.

Willis Lease Finance 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.