Vulcan Value Partners LLC Has $238.54 Million Stock Holdings in Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc. $RYAN

Key Points

• Vulcan Value Partners boosted its Ryan Specialty position by 631.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 4.62 million shares worth about $238.5 million. The stake now makes up about 4.3% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Ryan Specialty reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $0.47 per share versus the $0.43 estimate and revenue of $795.2 million above forecasts. Revenue rose 15.2% year over year.
• The company also announced a $300 million share repurchase program and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share, for an annualized yield of about 1.6%. Analysts currently have a mixed view, with the stock carrying a consensus rating of Hold.

Vulcan Value Partners LLC grew its position in Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc. (NYSE:RYAN - Free Report) by 631.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,621,079 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,989,502 shares during the period. Ryan Specialty comprises about 4.3% of Vulcan Value Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Vulcan Value Partners LLC owned about 1.75% of Ryan Specialty worth $238,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ryan Specialty by 21.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,392,717 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,576,000 after purchasing an additional 765,428 shares during the last quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ryan Specialty by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 4,343,116 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,010,000 after purchasing an additional 368,247 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ryan Specialty by 76.9% in the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,066,011 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332,773 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ryan Specialty by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,151,206 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,089,000 after purchasing an additional 60,847 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ryan Specialty by 37.0% in the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 1,934,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,054,000 after purchasing an additional 522,190 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.82% of the company's stock.

Ryan Specialty Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RYAN opened at $32.76 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.66 billion, a PE ratio of 42.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.68. Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.28 and a twelve month high of $72.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $33.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.76.

Ryan Specialty (NYSE:RYAN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $795.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $781.44 million. Ryan Specialty had a net margin of 8.21% and a return on equity of 41.33%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.39 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Ryan Specialty Holdings Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Ryan Specialty Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. Ryan Specialty's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.53%.

Ryan Specialty declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 26th that allows the company to buyback $300.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 3.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on shares of Ryan Specialty from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryan Specialty in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Ryan Specialty from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ryan Specialty from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Ryan Specialty in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.76.

About Ryan Specialty

Ryan Specialty Group, Inc NYSE: RYAN is a global specialty insurance and reinsurance platform that partners with a network of insurers and reinsurers to deliver tailored risk solutions. The company focuses on complex and large-scale risks across multiple industry sectors, leveraging its underwriting expertise to structure coverage programs that meet clients' unique needs.

Ryan Specialty's core offerings span a diverse range of specialty lines, including casualty, property, professional liability, marine and energy, program administration, and sports and entertainment.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.