Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $53.02 and last traded at $52.9650, with a volume of 816777 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $54.25.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on RYAAY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ryanair in a report on Friday, August 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $62.90 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Zacks Research lowered Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Monday, August 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.97.

Ryanair Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $59.73. The company has a market cap of $27.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 1.16.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 21.23% and a net margin of 12.14%. Equities research analysts expect that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a $0.4434 dividend. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ryanair news, insider John Hurley sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.24, for a total transaction of $468,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 76,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,375,021. This represents a 16.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 645,657.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,789,672 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $201,386,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789,240 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 39,929,929 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,884,834,000 after acquiring an additional 2,464,742 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Ryanair by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,895,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $281,182,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429,666 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ryanair during the 4th quarter valued at about $91,970,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Ryanair by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,304,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $527,341,000 after purchasing an additional 985,939 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 43.65% of the company’s stock.

Ryanair Company Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Malta Air, Buzz and Lauda, the group connects a broad network of destinations with a focus on affordable fares, high aircraft utilization and short-haul travel.

The company serves markets throughout the United Kingdom and continental Europe, as well as selected destinations in North Africa and the Middle East.