Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Ryanair shares fell to a new 52-week low of $51.51, below both their 50-day moving average of $55.54 and 200-day moving average of $58.36.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $73.97, although Zacks downgraded the stock to “strong sell” and one analyst issued a sell rating.
• Ryanair’s latest quarterly results missed expectations, with EPS of $1.19 versus the $1.37 consensus and revenue of $5 billion versus estimates of $5.06 billion; the company also paid a special dividend of $0.4434 per share.

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $51.51 and last traded at $51.6020, with a volume of 437,223 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $52.84.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on RYAAY. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ryanair from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective on shares of Ryanair in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Ryanair from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.97.

Ryanair Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $26.62 billion, a PE ratio of 12.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 1.19. The business's 50 day moving average is $55.54 and its 200-day moving average is $58.36.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Ryanair had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 21.23%. The business had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.4434 dividend. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.37%.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RYAAY. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Ryanair by 48.1% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in Ryanair in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Ryanair during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Leonteq Securities AG boosted its stake in Ryanair by 2,084.9% during the 2nd quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 2,032 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Ryanair by 68.4% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,461 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.65% of the company's stock.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Ireland-based airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz, Lauda and Ryanair UK, the group provides point-to-point air travel connecting cities and regional airports in Europe and selected destinations in North Africa.

The company's core business is the sale of airline tickets, supported by ancillary services such as priority boarding, reserved seating, checked baggage, onboard food and beverages, travel insurance and car-hire or accommodation-related offerings.

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