Ryerson (NYSE:RYI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Ryerson (NYSE:RYI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Separately, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ryerson from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Ryerson Trading Down 1.0%

RYI traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $22.08. 22,591 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 299,074. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $710.73 million, a PE ratio of -84.90 and a beta of 1.64. The firm's fifty day moving average is $22.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.43. Ryerson has a 1-year low of $17.18 and a 1-year high of $27.41.

Ryerson (NYSE:RYI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.16 billion. Ryerson had a negative return on equity of 0.70% and a negative net margin of 0.19%. Equities analysts forecast that Ryerson will post 1.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Edward J. Lehner sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.79, for a total value of $247,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 593,228 shares in the company, valued at $14,706,122.12. This trade represents a 1.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO James J. Claussen sold 6,017 shares of Ryerson stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.30, for a total value of $152,230.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 58,773 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,486,956.90. This trade represents a 9.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.95% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ryerson

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Ryerson by 167.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 55,330 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 34,604 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ryerson by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 44,865 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $830,000 after buying an additional 2,140 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Ryerson by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 30,067 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 2,590 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryerson by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 202,607 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,750,000 after buying an additional 9,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ryerson in the fourth quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors own 94.81% of the company's stock.

About Ryerson

Ryerson Holding Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, processes and distributes industrial metals in the United States and internationally. It offers a line of products in carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steels, and aluminum, as well as nickel and red metals in various shapes and forms, including coils, sheets, rounds, hexagons, square and flat bars, plates, structural, and tubing.