Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Takes $1.29 Million Position in Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. purchased a new position in Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,242 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,293,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Ryder System during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ryder System by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ryder System by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 5,160 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $809,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Ryder System by 2,942.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 852 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Ryder System by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 5,836 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $915,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.47% of the company’s stock.

Ryder System Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE:R opened at $155.84 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. Ryder System, Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.88 and a 12-month high of $171.78.

Ryder System (NYSE:R) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.06. Ryder System had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 17.23%. Equities research analysts predict that Ryder System, Inc. will post 13.68 EPS for the current year.

Ryder System Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Ryder System’s payout ratio is currently 29.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on R shares. StockNews.com downgraded Ryder System from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Ryder System from $176.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Ryder System from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $157.00.

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.