Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY) gapped up before the market opened on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $46.14, but opened at $47.26. Ryanair shares last traded at $47.17, with a volume of 479,906 shares.

The transportation company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.20. Ryanair had a net margin of 11.38% and a return on equity of 19.92%.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.4677 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.2%. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays upgraded shares of Ryanair from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ryanair from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.00.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC boosted its position in Ryanair by 87.5% during the third quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC now owns 750 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Ryanair by 153.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 891 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Ryanair by 261.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 893 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ryanair during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ryanair Stock Up 2.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $25.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $44.16 and a 200 day moving average of $69.18.

About Ryanair

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.