Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Shares Gap Up on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY) gapped up prior to trading on Monday following a better than expected earnings announcement. 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 trading hands.

The transportation company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.24. Ryanair had a return on equity of 19.92% and a net margin of 11.38%.

Ryanair Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a — dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a $0.4677 dividend. This represents a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays raised Ryanair from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Ryanair in the second quarter worth about $3,168,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Ryanair by 27.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 322,074 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,502,000 after acquiring an additional 68,635 shares during the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ryanair by 306.5% during the 2nd quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 7,260 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 5,474 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ryanair during the 2nd quarter worth $1,788,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 261.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 893 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ryanair Stock Up 2.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $25.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $44.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.71.

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.