Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $42.10, but opened at $43.25. Ryanair shares last traded at $43.04, with a volume of 173,759 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Ryanair to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ryanair to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Ryanair from $149.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. UBS Group downgraded Ryanair from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Ryanair to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.67.

Ryanair Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $23.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.62, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 22nd. The transportation company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by ($1.20). The business had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 20.43% and a net margin of 12.07%. As a group, research analysts predict that Ryanair Holdings plc will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a Variable dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.692 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a yield of 1.8%. Ryanair’s payout ratio is currently 11.40%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ryanair

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Ryanair during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Ryanair by 44.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 242 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ryanair by 256.0% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 299 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ryanair in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ryanair during the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. 43.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.