WLFC News & Events

Willis Lease announced that its shareholders approved a three-for-one forward stock split of the company's common stock and a proportionate increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock to accommodate the stock split. The split was also approved by the company's board of directors and will be effected through an amendment to the company's certificate of incorporation.

Four Tree Island Advisory, a top-10 stockholder of Willis Lease Finance, announced that independent proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. have recommended that stockholders vote AGAINST the election of Stephen Jones and approval of the company's executive compensation at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on May 26. Four Tree Island continues to urge fellow stockholders to vote AGAINST all proposals other than the ratification of the independent auditor. In its report, ISS noted "unmitigated pay-for-performance misalignment," "problematic one-time awards" and that "the chairman's base salary is relatively high, annual bonuses are outsized and discretionary, with undisclosed performance goals." Similarly, in its report, Glass Lewis noted that "shareholders may reasonably question the substantial one-off grants provided to Mr. Charles Willis for a multitude of reasons" and that "the aggregate value of the non-forfeited grants also provides cause for substantial concern."

Willis Lease Finance Corporation announced its intention to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $175M aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2031 in a public offering registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Morgan Stanley & Co., BofA Securities, and Deutsche Bank Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the notes offering.