Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY Shares Sold by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group reduced its Ryanair stake by 3.3%, selling 39,030 shares and retaining 1.16 million shares valued at approximately $75 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 43.65% of the company.
• Wall Street maintains a generally positive outlook, with Ryanair receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $73.97; one analyst issued a $74 target.
• Ryanair reported quarterly EPS of $1.19, below the $1.37 analyst consensus, while revenue of $5 billion also missed estimates. The company announced a special dividend of $0.4434 per share.

Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,158,146 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 39,030 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of Ryanair worth $74,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Ryanair by 39.4% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 584 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its position in Ryanair by 4.9% in the first quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 3,965 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 669 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 18,145 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 76.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 484 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 43.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on RYAAY. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ryanair from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Ryanair in a report on Monday, August 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.97.

Insider Transactions at Ryanair

In other news, insider John Hurley sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.24, for a total value of $468,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 76,025 shares in the company, valued at $2,375,021. This represents a 16.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Ryanair Price Performance

Shares of RYAAY opened at $54.25 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $59.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.85. The stock has a market cap of $28.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.16. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a one year low of $53.14 and a one year high of $74.24.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Ryanair had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 21.23%. Analysts anticipate that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.4434 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. Ryanair's payout ratio is 24.52%.

Ryanair Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Malta Air, Buzz and Lauda, the group connects a broad network of destinations with a focus on affordable fares, high aircraft utilization and short-haul travel.

The company serves markets throughout the United Kingdom and continental Europe, as well as selected destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.

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