PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab Sells 161,339 Shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Key Points

• PensionDanmark cut its Ryanair stake by 94.2%, selling 161,339 shares and retaining 10,000 shares valued at approximately $648,000. Institutional investors collectively own 43.66% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with six Buy ratings and four Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $79.50 price target.
• Ryanair’s latest quarterly results fell short of estimates, reporting $1.19 in earnings per share versus $1.37 expected and $5 billion in revenue versus $5.06 billion forecast; the company also announced a special $0.4434-per-share dividend.

PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab lessened its holdings in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 94.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,000 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 161,339 shares during the period. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab's holdings in Ryanair were worth $648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ryanair by 658.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 992,245 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $42,041,000 after acquiring an additional 861,361 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Ryanair by 122.1% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,011 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $750,000 after acquiring an additional 7,152 shares during the period. CW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ryanair during the 2nd quarter worth about $263,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ryanair by 99.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 1,013 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ryanair during the 2nd quarter valued at about $295,000. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ryanair

In other news, insider John Jh Hurley sold 15,000 shares of Ryanair stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.24, for a total transaction of $468,600.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 76,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,375,021. The trade was a 16.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Andreas Gruber sold 13,467 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $350,276.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 20,858 shares in the company, valued at $542,516.58. This represents a 39.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 126,607 shares of company stock valued at $3,386,997 over the last ninety days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RYAAY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research raised shares of Ryanair from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $79.50.

Ryanair Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of RYAAY opened at $59.51 on Tuesday. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 52-week low of $53.14 and a 52-week high of $74.24. The stock has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's fifty day moving average is $61.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.75.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.18). Ryanair had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 21.23%. The business had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.4434 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.52%.

Ryanair Company Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish low-cost airline group headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1984, the company grew into one of Europe's largest budget carriers by offering point-to-point scheduled passenger services with an emphasis on low fares, high aircraft utilization and rapid turnaround times. Ryanair serves a broad network across Europe and nearby regions, focusing on both intra-European leisure travel and short-haul business routes.

The group primarily operates a single-type fleet based on the Boeing 737 family, supplemented by a mix of in-house and subsidiary airlines that help serve different markets and regulatory environments.

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