Royce & Associates LP Invests $1.31 Million in Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R)

Key Points

• Royce & Associates LP has invested approximately $1.31 million in Ryder System, acquiring 9,120 shares during the first quarter.
• Analysts have given Ryder System an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a price target of $181.50, with several firms recently upgrading their ratings.
• Ryder System announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91, an increase from the previous quarter's $0.81, reflecting its robust financial performance.

Royce & Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,120 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,312,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of R. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Ryder System by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 14,552 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,283,000 after acquiring an additional 1,557 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 149,415 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $23,437,000 after buying an additional 4,062 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ryder System during the fourth quarter valued at about $97,844,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ryder System during the fourth quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,870 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $921,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.47% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Cristina Gallo-Aquino sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.87, for a total value of $180,870.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,561 shares in the company, valued at $4,804,088.07. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert E. Sanchez sold 22,063 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.49, for a total value of $4,026,276.87. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 62,887 shares in the company, valued at $11,476,248.63. This trade represents a 25.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,802 shares of company stock worth $7,266,993 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Ryder System Trading Down 1.6%

Ryder System stock traded down $2.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $174.82. 110,421 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 383,183. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.27, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $161.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86 and a beta of 0.97. Ryder System, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.36 and a 52-week high of $184.76.

Ryder System (NYSE:R - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The transportation company reported $3.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.17 billion. Ryder System had a net margin of 3.99% and a return on equity of 17.83%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.00 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Ryder System, Inc. will post 13.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryder System Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This is a positive change from Ryder System's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Ryder System's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on R shares. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Ryder System in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $215.00 target price for the company. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ryder System to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ryder System from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Ryder System from $150.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ryder System from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.50.

Ryder System Profile

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.