Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ryanair Holdings PLC has received a consensus rating of "Buy" from ten brokerages, with an average 12-month target price of $76.00.
• The company recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.74 EPS, surpassing estimates, and announced a special dividend increase to $0.534 per share.
• Institutional investors currently hold 43.66% of Ryanair's stock, with notable recent increases in holdings from various hedge funds.

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $76.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on RYAAY shares. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen raised Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Zacks Research raised Ryanair from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $76.00 target price (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd.

Ryanair Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ RYAAY opened at $58.77 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $31.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The stock's 50-day moving average is $62.01 and its 200-day moving average is $53.97. Ryanair has a one year low of $38.52 and a one year high of $67.18.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.16 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 27.91% and a net margin of 14.42%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ryanair will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.534 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 120.0%. This is a boost from Ryanair's previous special dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio is 14.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Ryanair by 77.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 7,290 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 3,182 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Ryanair during the second quarter worth $149,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Ryanair by 9.4% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 10,210 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $589,000 after buying an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ryanair during the 2nd quarter worth about $566,000. Finally, Teewinot Capital Advisers L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Ryanair by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Teewinot Capital Advisers L.L.C. now owns 693,149 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $39,974,000 after purchasing an additional 33,072 shares during the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ryanair Company Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides scheduled-passenger airline services in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and internationally. It is also involved in the provision of various ancillary services, such as non-flight scheduled and Internet-related services, as well as in-flight sale of beverages, food, duty-free, and merchandise; and markets car hire, travel insurance, and accommodation services through its website and mobile app.

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