Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Receives $79.50 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $79.50.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on RYAAY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Ryanair from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, May 19th.

Ryanair Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ RYAAY opened at $60.19 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $31.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.16. Ryanair has a 12 month low of $53.14 and a 12 month high of $74.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $61.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.87.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.18). Ryanair had a return on equity of 21.23% and a net margin of 12.14%.The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ryanair will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.4434 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.07%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Darrell Thomas Hughes sold 8,197 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $213,203.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 37,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $971,785.62. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CMO Dara Brady sold 8,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $233,387.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 17,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $456,475.50. This represents a 33.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 126,607 shares of company stock valued at $3,386,997.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Milford Funds Ltd. increased its position in Ryanair by 25.4% in the 2nd quarter. Milford Funds Ltd. now owns 1,263,847 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $81,834,000 after acquiring an additional 256,253 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 5.4% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 466,733 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,221,000 after purchasing an additional 23,906 shares during the period. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co lifted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 1.6% during the second quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co now owns 219,157 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $14,190,000 after purchasing an additional 3,478 shares during the period. U S Global Investors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 34.1% during the second quarter. U S Global Investors Inc. now owns 139,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,049,000 after purchasing an additional 35,552 shares during the period. Finally, Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 2,856.6% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,115 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 4,942 shares during the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish low-cost airline group headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1984, the company grew into one of Europe’s largest budget carriers by offering point-to-point scheduled passenger services with an emphasis on low fares, high aircraft utilization and rapid turnaround times. Ryanair serves a broad network across Europe and nearby regions, focusing on both intra-European leisure travel and short-haul business routes.

The group primarily operates a single-type fleet based on the Boeing 737 family, supplemented by a mix of in-house and subsidiary airlines that help serve different markets and regulatory environments.