GAMMA Investing LLC Purchases 182,888 Shares of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R)

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R - Free Report) by 20,298.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 183,789 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 182,888 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.44% of Ryder System worth $26,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Ryder System in the 4th quarter worth $314,075,000. Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ryder System by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,905,223 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $298,853,000 after purchasing an additional 45,393 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Ryder System by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 856,507 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $134,351,000 after purchasing an additional 13,529 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Ryder System by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 843,895 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $132,373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ryder System by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 805,571 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $126,362,000 after purchasing an additional 24,052 shares in the last quarter. 87.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ryder System Stock Down 0.2%

R stock traded down $0.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $148.34. 190,249 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 325,516. Ryder System, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.58 and a 1 year high of $171.78. The firm's 50 day moving average is $144.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.58. The stock has a market cap of $6.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Ryder System (NYSE:R - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.06. Ryder System had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 17.23%. The company had revenue of $3.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. Ryder System's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ryder System, Inc. will post 13.68 EPS for the current year.

Ryder System Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Ryder System's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on R. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ryder System from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Ryder System from $168.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Ryder System from $174.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.50.

Insider Activity at Ryder System

In other news, Director E Follin Smith sold 1,243 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.38, for a total transaction of $179,464.34. Following the sale, the director now owns 39,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,746,612.76. This trade represents a 3.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Robert E. Sanchez sold 18,496 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.73, for a total transaction of $2,880,382.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 40,824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,357,521.52. The trade was a 31.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Ryder System

Ryder System, Inc operates as a logistics and transportation company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS). The FMS segment offers full-service leasing and leasing with flexible maintenance options; commercial vehicle rental services; and contract or transactional maintenance services of trucks, tractors, and trailers; access to diesel fuel; and fuel planning and tax reporting, cards, and monitoring services, and centralized billing, as well as sells used vehicles through its retail sales centers and www.ryder.com/used-trucks website, as well as digital and technology support services.