HighTower Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R)

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) by 4.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,537 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 339 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ryder System were worth $1,089,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ryder System in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Ryder System during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Ryder System by 43.2% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 265 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ryder System during the second quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Ryder System by 20.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 708 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 87.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ryder System Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE R opened at $161.97 on Wednesday. Ryder System, Inc. has a 12 month low of $106.62 and a 12 month high of $171.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The stock has a market cap of $6.85 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 1.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $157.78 and its 200 day moving average is $141.67.

Ryder System (NYSE:R) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $3.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. Ryder System had a net margin of 3.83% and a return on equity of 16.78%. Ryder System’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.58 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ryder System, Inc. will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryder System Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Ryder System’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Thomas M. Havens sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.44, for a total transaction of $629,760.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 20,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,228,149.76. This represents a 16.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

R has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Ryder System from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Ryder System from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Ryder System from $148.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ryder System presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $147.43.

Ryder System Profile

Ryder System, Inc operates as a logistics and transportation company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS). The FMS segment offers full-service leasing and leasing with flexible maintenance options; commercial vehicle rental services; and contract or transactional maintenance services of trucks, tractors, and trailers; access to diesel fuel; and fuel planning and tax reporting, cards, and monitoring services, and centralized billing, as well as sells used vehicles through its retail sales centers and www.ryder.com/used-trucks website, as well as digital and technology support services.