Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Stock Lifted to Hold by Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks reports.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on RYAAY. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ryanair from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Barclays cut shares of Ryanair from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Friday, August 14th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $62.90 price objective for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ryanair presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.97.

Ryanair Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RYAAY opened at $51.33 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.19. Ryanair has a fifty-two week low of $51.02 and a fifty-two week high of $74.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $55.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.29.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.18). Ryanair had a return on equity of 21.23% and a net margin of 12.14%. The firm had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Research analysts predict that Ryanair will post 3.87 EPS for the current year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a dividend of $0.4434 per share. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.37%.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Ryanair by 3.3% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,752,264 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $332,480,000 after buying an additional 185,110 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,007,671 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $259,497,000 after buying an additional 14,074 shares in the last quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd grew its position in shares of Ryanair by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd now owns 3,949,246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $228,266,000 after buying an additional 385,444 shares during the period. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP grew its position in shares of Ryanair by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 3,567,449 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $230,992,000 after buying an additional 110,700 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Ryanair by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,172,317 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $125,560,000 after buying an additional 555,029 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.