WLFC Closes $35M Series B Preferred Placement with Development Bank of Japan
WLFC sits 33% above its 52-week low of $38.003 on light trading volume (0.3× avg).
Summary
Willis Lease Finance closed a $35 million Series B Preferred Stock private placement with Development Bank of Japan, carrying an 8.09% dividend and mandatory redemption rights, and effected a 3-for-1 forward split of both preferred series.
Key Events · Financing and Capital Events · WLFC
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Series B Preferred Placement Closed
Closed private placement of 1,750,000 shares of Series B Preferred Stock at $20.00 per share to Development Bank of Japan Inc. on September 29, 2026, raising $35 million.
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Dividend and Liquidation Terms
Series B Preferred carries an 8.09% cumulative annual dividend and $20.00 per share liquidation preference, ranking pari passu with Series A Preferred and senior to common stock.
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Mandatory Redemption Rights
Required Majority may force redemption on September 29, 2031 or upon events including change of control, insolvency, or two consecutive fiscal years of operating or ordinary loss.
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3-for-1 Forward Split of Preferred
Effective September 30, 2026, Series A authorized shares increase from 3,250,000 to 9,750,000 and Series B from 1,750,000 to 5,250,000, with per-share liquidation preferences reduced to one-third of $20.00.
Analysis · WLFC · Trade & Services
A $35 million private placement of Series B Preferred Stock to Development Bank of Japan closed on September 29, 2026, providing Willis Lease Finance with fresh capital. The new preferred carries an 8.09% cumulative dividend and a $20.00 liquidation preference, ranking pari passu with the existing Series A Preferred and senior to common stock. The holder gains a mandatory redemption right exercisable in 2031 or upon events including two consecutive years of operating losses, a change of control, or insolvency — terms that give DBJ meaningful downside protection. The filing also effects a 3-for-1 forward split of both preferred series, increasing authorized Series A shares to 9.75 million and Series B to 5.25 million while proportionally reducing per-share liquidation preferences. This is a non-dilutive capital raise for common shareholders, but it adds a new senior security with cumulative dividends and protective covenants that constrain future capital decisions.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Sep 30, 2026, 29.6% of the 1615 measured filings Wiseek scored 7 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.57%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
Measured one observation per ticker per day, after exclusions. Current figures: Filing Impact Tracker · open dataset
At the time of this filing, WLFC was trading at $50.70 on NASDAQ in the Trade & Services sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.1B. The 52-week trading range was $38.00 to $81.54. This filing was assessed with neutral market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.