Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY Shares Acquired by QRG Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC by 7.8%, owning 72,032 shares valued at approximately $4.15 million as of the latest reporting period.
• Ryanair recently announced a special dividend of $0.534 per share, up from a previous dividend of $0.47, indicating a positive trend in shareholder returns.
• The company reported a better-than-expected earnings per share of $1.74 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and recording a revenue of $5.07 billion.

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 7.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,032 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,226 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Ryanair were worth $4,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RYAAY. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Ryanair by 4,694.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 96,519 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,090,000 after purchasing an additional 94,506 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ryanair during the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Ryanair by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,353 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lifted its position in Ryanair by 21.6% in the first quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 6,487 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ryanair by 1,190.3% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 5,380 shares during the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ryanair Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RYAAY opened at $59.88 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $31.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.42.

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

Ryanair Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.534 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. This is a positive change from Ryanair's previous special dividend of $0.47. Ryanair's payout ratio is currently 16.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on RYAAY. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ryanair from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Oddo Bhf upgraded shares of Ryanair from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Ryanair in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ryanair currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $76.00.

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.

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