Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Raised to Hold at Zacks Research

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ryanair from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Ryanair from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the 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 Price Performance

Ryanair stock opened at $51.33 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $55.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.29. Ryanair has a one year low of $51.02 and a one year high of $74.24. The firm has a market cap of $26.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.19.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Ryanair had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 21.23%. Sell-side analysts expect that Ryanair will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 18.9% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,495 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Ryanair by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 755,526 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,920,000 after acquiring an additional 40,648 shares during the last quarter. Maven Securities LTD bought a new position in shares of Ryanair in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,554,000. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ryanair by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 48.1% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 43.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Ireland-based airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz, Lauda and Ryanair UK, the group provides point-to-point air travel connecting cities and regional airports in Europe and selected destinations in North Africa.

The company’s core business is the sale of airline tickets, supported by ancillary services such as priority boarding, reserved seating, checked baggage, onboard food and beverages, travel insurance and car-hire or accommodation-related offerings.