Ameriprise Financial Inc. Sells 734,546 Shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in Ryanair Holdings PLC by 38.6%, selling 734,546 shares and now owning 1,168,164 shares worth approximately $49.5 million.
• Ryanair recently reported earnings of $1.74 per share, significantly surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.49, with revenues totaling $5.07 billion for the quarter.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.534 per share, up from a previous $0.47, reflecting a dividend yield of 120.0%.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. cut its holdings in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 38.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,168,164 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 734,546 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.22% of Ryanair worth $49,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of RYAAY. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in shares of Ryanair during the first quarter worth $118,071,000. Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new position in Ryanair in the 1st quarter worth about $3,329,000. Maven Securities LTD grew its holdings in Ryanair by 63.5% during the 1st quarter. Maven Securities LTD now owns 118,267 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,011,000 after buying an additional 45,924 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 98.8% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 357,576 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $15,150,000 after buying an additional 177,674 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 260.5% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,424 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,029 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 43.66% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RYAAY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Oddo Bhf raised shares of Ryanair from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.50.

Ryanair Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:RYAAY opened at $62.68 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $61.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.87. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $33.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.36. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a one year low of $38.52 and a one year high of $67.18.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. Ryanair had a net margin of 14.42% and a return on equity of 27.91%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

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

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.

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