Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Stock Price Down 5.6% Following Weak Earnings

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY)’s share price fell 5.6% during mid-day trading on Monday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $59.13 and last traded at $59.05. 315,398 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 1,487,734 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.57.

The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.18). Ryanair had a return on equity of 25.58% and a net margin of 13.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on RYAAY. Zacks Research lowered Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.33.

Insider Activity at Ryanair

In other news, insider Carol Marie Sharkey sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $182,043.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 14,136 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $367,677.36. This represents a 33.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Jason Paul Mcguinness sold 9,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.56, for a total value of $275,572.44. Following the transaction, the insider owned 14,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $394,245.80. This trade represents a 41.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 126,607 shares of company stock valued at $3,386,997.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 151.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 355,617 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,672,000 after buying an additional 213,948 shares in the last quarter. Maven Securities LTD bought a new position in Ryanair in the 4th quarter valued at $11,255,000. Metropolis Capital Ltd increased its stake in shares of Ryanair by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Metropolis Capital Ltd now owns 3,949,246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $228,266,000 after buying an additional 385,444 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ryanair in the 1st quarter valued at $4,190,000. Finally, Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Ryanair by 2.9% during the first quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 977,250 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,485,000 after acquiring an additional 27,700 shares during the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ryanair Trading Down 5.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $30.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.04.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish low-cost airline group headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1984, the company grew into one of Europe’s largest budget carriers by offering point-to-point scheduled passenger services with an emphasis on low fares, high aircraft utilization and rapid turnaround times. Ryanair serves a broad network across Europe and nearby regions, focusing on both intra-European leisure travel and short-haul business routes.

The group primarily operates a single-type fleet based on the Boeing 737 family, supplemented by a mix of in-house and subsidiary airlines that help serve different markets and regulatory environments.