Ryder System, Inc. $R Holdings Raised by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) by 81.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,010,320 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 453,697 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Ryder System were worth $206,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ryder System by 522.7% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ryder System in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ryder System in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ryder System in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 61.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 287 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.47% of the company’s stock.

Ryder System Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE R opened at $276.85 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $260.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.21. Ryder System, Inc. has a 52 week low of $157.67 and a 52 week high of $284.25. The stock has a market cap of $10.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.01 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Ryder System (NYSE:R) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Ryder System had a net margin of 3.91% and a return on equity of 17.75%. Ryder System’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ryder System, Inc. will post 14.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ryder System Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.01 per share. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Ryder System’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 24th. Ryder System’s dividend payout ratio is 30.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on R. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ryder System from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ryder System in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ryder System from $203.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Ryder System from $253.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ryder System from $263.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Sanford J. Hodes sold 595 shares of Ryder System stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.95, for a total value of $149,910.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 22,948 shares in the company, valued at $5,781,748.60. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Luis P. Nieto, Jr. sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $235.79, for a total transaction of $169,768.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,067,569.46. This represents a 2.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 4.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ryder System Profile

Ryder System, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and supply chain management solutions, serving commercial customers across a range of industries. The company’s Fleet Management Solutions segment offers full-service leasing and rental of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors and trailers, along with maintenance and repair services at its network of service locations. Its Supply Chain Solutions segment provides integrated, technology-driven offerings that span managed transportation, dedicated contract carriage, warehousing and distribution, and e-commerce fulfillment.

Founded in 1933 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, Ryder has grown from a regional truck leasing operation into a diversified, global logistics provider.