Alliancebernstein L.P. Reduces Stock Position in Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. has reduced its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC by 11.6%, owning 2,764,310 shares valued at approximately $117.1 million after selling 364,432 shares.
• Several institutional investors, including Royal Bank of Canada and Baird Financial Group Inc., have increased their holdings in Ryanair, demonstrating growing confidence in the airline's performance.
• Ryanair announced a special dividend of $0.534 per share, up from the previous $0.47, with a remarkable yield of 120.0% and a payout ratio of 14.55%.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its stake in shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 11.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,764,310 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 364,432 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.52% of Ryanair worth $117,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RYAAY. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Ryanair by 7.3% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,909,138 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $165,630,000 after buying an additional 266,343 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ryanair by 30.4% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 994,753 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $42,148,000 after acquiring an additional 232,197 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ryanair by 21.6% during the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 12,171 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 2,165 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Ryanair by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 796,398 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $33,743,000 after acquiring an additional 51,278 shares during the period. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in Ryanair by 1,158.0% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,019 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.66% of the company's stock.

Ryanair Price Performance

RYAAY traded up $1.05 during trading on Thursday, reaching $59.82. 1,219,998 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 913,861. 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 $31.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.37. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 1 year low of $38.52 and a 1 year high of $67.18. The business's 50 day moving average price is $62.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.07.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.25. Ryanair had a return on equity of 27.91% and a net margin of 14.42%.The business had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on RYAAY. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. 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. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ryanair currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

Ryanair 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.