Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Ryanair, with six buy ratings, one strong buy, two holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $73.98.
• Ryanair shares opened at $53.51, near the company’s one-year low of $51.68 and below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $57.49 and $59.20, respectively.
• The airline’s latest quarterly earnings missed expectations, with EPS of $1.19 versus the $1.37 consensus and revenue of $5 billion versus $5.06 billion expected. Ryanair also announced a special dividend of $0.4434 per share.

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the ten analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.9750.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on RYAAY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ryanair from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Ryanair in a research report on Friday, August 14th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $62.90 price target on the stock. Finally, 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.

Ryanair Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ RYAAY opened at $53.51 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.20. The firm has a market cap of $27.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 1.16. Ryanair has a 1 year low of $51.68 and a 1 year high of $74.24.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ryanair will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.4434 per share. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.12%.

Insider Transactions at Ryanair

In other news, insider John Hurley sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.24, for a total value of $468,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 76,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,375,021. The trade was a 16.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of RYAAY. Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its position in Ryanair by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 3,965 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC lifted its stake in Ryanair by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 18,145 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ryanair by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Ryanair by 48.1% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 6,398 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. 43.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Malta Air, Buzz and Lauda, the group connects a broad network of destinations with a focus on affordable fares, high aircraft utilization and short-haul travel.

The company serves markets throughout the United Kingdom and continental Europe, as well as selected destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.

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