Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $44.63 Million Stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has reduced its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC by 4.2%, owning about 1,051,603 shares valued at $44.63 million.
• Multiple hedge funds increased their positions in Ryanair, with Capital International Investors owning approximately $1.69 billion worth of shares after a 6.1% stake increase.
• Brokerage firms issued positive ratings for Ryanair, with Raymond James Financial projected a price target increase to $76.00, while the average target price is $111.50.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lessened its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 4.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,051,603 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 46,187 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.20% of Ryanair worth $44,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 100.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 962 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Ryanair in the first quarter worth about $48,000. CWM LLC grew its position in Ryanair by 39.8% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ryanair by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,565 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $199,000 after acquiring an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $76.00 price objective (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. Finally, Oddo Bhf raised Ryanair from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Ryanair Stock Performance

RYAAY traded down $0.87 on Monday, hitting $65.76. 637,099 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,557,901. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $59.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 52 week low of $38.52 and a 52 week high of $67.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.36.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. Ryanair had a net margin of 14.42% and a return on equity of 27.91%. On average, research analysts predict that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

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

About Ryanair

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.