Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis Sells 3,400 Shares

January 7, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

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Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.31, for a total value of $453,254.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 174,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,232,333.63. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Austin Chandler Willis also recently made the following trade(s):

On Tuesday, December 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,232 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.33, for a total value of $268,576.56.
On Tuesday, December 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,813 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.33, for a total value of $338,488.29.
On Monday, December 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 468 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.46, for a total value of $56,375.28.
On Monday, December 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 587 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.46, for a total transaction of $70,710.02.
On Monday, November 3rd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,700 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total transaction of $341,604.00.
On Monday, November 3rd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total transaction of $430,168.00.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $145.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $128.84 and a 200-day moving average of $137.70. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $114.01 and a 12 month high of $229.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $989.22 million, a PE ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 0.80.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.79% and a return on equity of 20.58%. The firm had revenue of $154.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from Willis Lease Finance's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is 9.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Read Our Latest Research Report on WLFC

Willis Lease Finance News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Lease Finance this week:

Positive Sentiment: Large strategic partnership announced with Blackstone Credit & Insurance to build an engine-leasing program targeting over $1 billion of deployments across current and next‑generation engines over the next two years — brings significant capital, immediate seed assets and scale for Willis’ asset-management platform, and should support revenue and AUM growth. Willis Lease Finance Corporation Announces Aircraft Engine Leasing Partnership with Blackstone Credit & Insurance
Positive Sentiment: Four Tree Island Advisory, a sizable WLFC shareholder, issued an open letter urging improved shareholder communication, investor engagement and governance changes, and arguing the stock is materially undervalued versus peers — activist pressure can catalyze board-level actions (strategic review, capital-allocation changes or governance reforms) that often lift undervalued stocks. Four Tree Island Advisory Issues Open Letter to Willis Lease Finance Board
Positive Sentiment: Willis established a new asset‑management entity, Willis Aviation Capital, to scale its asset-management business — this institutionalizes third‑party capital management and pairs with the Blackstone program to diversify funding and monetize leasing expertise. Willis Lease Finance Corporation Establishes New Asset Management Entity, Willis Aviation Capital
Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CEO Austin C. Willis sold 3,400 shares at an average $133.31 on Jan. 2 (≈$453k), trimming his stake by ~1.9% though he retains a large holding — isolated sales by insiders can be perceived negatively by some investors, but this looks modest relative to his remaining ownership. SEC Form 4: Austin Chandler Willis

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. M3F Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 566,941 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $80,948,000 after acquiring an additional 32,680 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth about $409,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,796,000 after purchasing an additional 11,745 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 48.7% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,949 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 22.0% during the second quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 39,839 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,688,000 after purchasing an additional 7,196 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.