Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Posted by Stanley Muller on Jul 8th, 2026

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC – Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $239.91, but opened at $219.48. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $217.21, with a volume of 6,724 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on WLFC shares. Freedom Capital lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.18 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.12 and a 200 day moving average of $22.01. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Willis Lease Finance’s stock is going to split before the market opens on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the closing bell on Monday, July 6th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The firm had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.0444 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $0.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 9.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 46,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,352,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,676,824.72. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 53.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth approximately $109,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.