Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 18,860 Shares of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R - Free Report) by 60.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,522 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 18,860 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Ryder System were worth $1,964,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of R. Keystone Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ryder System in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ryder System during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ryder System in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Ryder System by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 362 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 87.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ryder System from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Ryder System from $168.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Ryder System from $174.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.50.

Ryder System Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE R traded down $1.94 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $155.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 36,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,509. Ryder System, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.58 and a twelve month high of $171.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $142.10 and a 200 day moving average of $154.32.

Ryder System (NYSE:R - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.06. Ryder System had a return on equity of 17.23% and a net margin of 3.87%. The company had revenue of $3.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.14 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ryder System, Inc. will post 13.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryder System Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Ryder System's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.25%.

Insider Activity at Ryder System

In related news, Director E Follin Smith sold 1,243 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.38, for a total transaction of $179,464.34. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 39,802 shares in the company, valued at $5,746,612.76. This trade represents a 3.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Ryder System

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.