Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

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 traded.

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

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a — dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be paid a $0.4677 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.2%. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RYAAY. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC boosted its stake in Ryanair by 87.5% in the third quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC now owns 750 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 153.1% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 891 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Ryanair in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in Ryanair by 150.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the period. 43.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ryanair Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $24.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $44.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

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.