Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,710,807 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 326,648 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.40% of Ryder System worth $677,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Ryder System during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,475,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Ryder System by 20,298.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 183,789 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,431,000 after acquiring an additional 182,888 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Ryder System during the 4th quarter worth $16,317,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Ryder System by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 447,890 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $70,256,000 after acquiring an additional 98,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Ryder System by 2,500.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 91,393 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $14,336,000 after buying an additional 87,879 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.47% of the company's stock.

Ryder System Stock Down 1.2%

R stock traded down $2.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $179.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 216,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,647. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.27. Ryder System, Inc. has a 52-week low of $125.54 and a 52-week high of $184.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.51.

Ryder System (NYSE:R - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The transportation company reported $3.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $3.19 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.00 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ryder System, Inc. will post 13.68 EPS for the current year.

Ryder System Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a positive change from Ryder System's previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Ryder System's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on R. Wolfe Research upgraded Ryder System from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $159.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays assumed coverage on Ryder System in a research note on Monday, June 9th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ryder System from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Ryder System in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $215.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Ryder System from $186.00 to $192.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ryder System has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Thomas M. Havens sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.77, for a total value of $1,181,505.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 32,478 shares in the company, valued at $5,903,526.06. This represents a 16.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert E. Sanchez sold 22,063 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.49, for a total transaction of $4,026,276.87. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 62,887 shares in the company, valued at $11,476,248.63. This represents a 25.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 54,082 shares of company stock valued at $9,340,250. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.