Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY Shares Sold by Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec

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 cut its holdings in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 21.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,670 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 19,778 shares during the quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Ryanair were worth $3,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in 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 last quarter. 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 raised its position in Ryanair by 21.6% in the 1st quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 12,171 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 2,165 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Ryanair by 6.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 51,278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ryanair Trading Down 2.0%

RYAAY traded down $1.17 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $58.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 545,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,499,477. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a market cap of $31.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.75, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $62.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.93. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 52-week low of $38.52 and a 52-week high of $67.18.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 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 analysts' expectations of $4.16 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.534 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 120.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This is an increase from Ryanair's previous special dividend of $0.47. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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