Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Grows Position in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,295 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.31% of Willis Lease Finance worth $4,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $4,912,000 after buying an additional 9,326 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at $525,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 173.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,990 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,421,000 after buying an additional 14,590 shares during the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at $4,136,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 7.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,926 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,941,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 5.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $175.91 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $182.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 1.11. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 12-month low of $47.31 and a 12-month high of $235.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $2.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.92. The business had revenue of $152.80 million during 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 6.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total value of $704,283.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 158,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,261,060.76. This trade represents a 2.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

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.