Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Trims Position in Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec reduced its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC by 21.6%, selling 19,778 shares, and now owns 71,670 shares valued at approximately $3.04 million.
• Ryanair recently declared a special dividend of $0.534 per share, up from the previous special dividend of $0.47, with a corresponding dividend yield of 120.0%.
• Ryanair has received multiple upgrades from research analysts, including a shift to a "strong-buy" rating from Oddo Bhf, with a consensus price target of $76.00.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec decreased its position in shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 21.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 71,670 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 19,778 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Ryanair were worth $3,039,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Ryanair by 4.4% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 29,324,514 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,242,480,000 after purchasing an additional 1,233,059 shares during the period. Metropolis Capital Ltd grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 3.5% in the first quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd now owns 4,753,672 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $201,413,000 after acquiring an additional 160,542 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 7.3% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,909,138 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $165,630,000 after acquiring an additional 266,343 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new position in shares of Ryanair during the first quarter valued at $118,071,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ryanair by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,034,561 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $43,834,000 after purchasing an additional 54,439 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.66% of the company's stock.

Ryanair Stock Performance

Shares of Ryanair stock traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $59.82. 1,219,998 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 913,861. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a one year low of $38.52 and a one year high of $67.18. The firm 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $62.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.07.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on RYAAY. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $76.00 target price (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Oddo Bhf upgraded shares of Ryanair from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target 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.