Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Buys New Position in Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. purchased 20,698 shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC for approximately $877,000 in the first quarter, indicating a growing interest from investment firms in Ryanair.
• Ryanair recently announced an increase in its dividend payout to $0.534 per share, scheduled for September 25th, which shows a positive outlook for returns to shareholders.
• Analysts have upgraded Ryanair's stock ratings, with several firms issuing "outperform" and "strong-buy" ratings, reflecting a bullish sentiment towards the company's performance and growth prospects.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 20,698 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $877,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 4.4% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 29,324,514 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,242,480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,233,059 shares in the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 5,604,258 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $244,290,000 after acquiring an additional 500,239 shares in the last quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 3.5% during the first quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd now owns 4,753,672 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $201,413,000 after acquiring an additional 160,542 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,642,795 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $158,789,000 after acquiring an additional 179,006 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 5.6% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,561 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $43,834,000 after acquiring an additional 54,439 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 43.66% of the company's stock.

Ryanair Trading Up 0.6%

RYAAY stock traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $66.08. The company had a trading volume of 1,362,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,382,106. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $35.04 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $59.98 and a 200 day moving average of $52.14. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 12 month low of $38.52 and a 12 month high of $67.18.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.25. Ryanair had a net margin of 14.42% and a return on equity of 27.91%. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.534 per share. This is a boost from Ryanair's previous -- dividend of $0.47. This represents a dividend yield of 120.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Ryanair's payout ratio is 14.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $76.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Oddo Bhf raised shares of Ryanair from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ryanair currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $111.50.

Ryanair Company Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides scheduled-passenger airline services in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and internationally. It is also involved in the provision of various ancillary services, such as non-flight scheduled and Internet-related services, as well as in-flight sale of beverages, food, duty-free, and merchandise; and markets car hire, travel insurance, and accommodation services through its website and mobile app.