Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $51.51 and last traded at $51.6020, with a volume of 437,223 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $52.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on RYAAY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Barclays downgraded Ryanair from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ryanair has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.97.

Ryanair Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $55.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.36. The firm has a market cap of $26.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 1.19.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.18). Ryanair had a return on equity of 21.23% and a net margin of 12.14%. The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a $0.4434 dividend. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Ryanair by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 755,526 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,920,000 after purchasing an additional 40,648 shares in the last quarter. Maven Securities LTD acquired a new position in shares of Ryanair in the second quarter valued at $1,554,000. RFG Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Ryanair by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Ryanair by 48.1% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP increased its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 13.1% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 4,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.65% of the company’s stock.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Ireland-based airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz, Lauda and Ryanair UK, the group provides point-to-point air travel connecting cities and regional airports in Europe and selected destinations in North Africa.

The company’s core business is the sale of airline tickets, supported by ancillary services such as priority boarding, reserved seating, checked baggage, onboard food and beverages, travel insurance and car-hire or accommodation-related offerings.