Ruffer LLP Sells 135,362 Shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY)

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP reduced its holdings in Ryanair by 9.3%, selling 135,362 shares to hold a total of 1.32 million shares valued at approximately $56 million.
• Ryanair reported earnings of $1.74 per share for the last quarter, surpassing expectations of $1.49, with revenues reaching $5.07 billion compared to anticipated $4.16 billion.
• The company recently announced an increased dividend of $0.534 per share, set to be paid to investors, translating to an impressive yield of 120%.

Ruffer LLP decreased its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,322,779 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 135,362 shares during the period. Ryanair makes up 2.2% of Ruffer LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Ruffer LLP owned 0.25% of Ryanair worth $56,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in RYAAY. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 2.6% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,094 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 10,006 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 0.3% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 85,781 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,635,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 13.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 39.8% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,191 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.66% of the company's stock.

Ryanair Trading Up 0.3%

RYAAY stock traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $64.80. 974,704 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,585,074. The company has a market capitalization of $34.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a fifty-two week low of $38.52 and a fifty-two week high of $64.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $58.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.87.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.16 billion. Ryanair had a net margin of 14.42% and a return on equity of 27.91%. Equities research analysts forecast that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This is an increase from Ryanair's previous -- dividend of $0.47. This represents a dividend yield of 120.0%. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio is presently 23.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RYAAY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Oddo Bhf upgraded shares of Ryanair from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ryanair presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

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.