Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Shares Sold by Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. lessened its stake in Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 270,339 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 25,046 shares during the quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. owned about 0.05% of Ryanair worth $11,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Ryanair by 145.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,779,187 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $170,744,000 after purchasing an additional 2,240,230 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ryanair by 142.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,839,384 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $81,282,000 after buying an additional 1,079,920 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,128,742 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $136,382,000 after buying an additional 1,000,543 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Ryanair during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,816,000. Finally, Perpetual Ltd increased its stake in Ryanair by 539.8% during the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 988,490 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $43,088,000 after purchasing an additional 833,988 shares during the period. 43.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ryanair from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ryanair presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $147.00.

Ryanair Stock Performance

RYAAY traded up $0.50 on Friday, reaching $45.68. The company had a trading volume of 981,087 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,660,755. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Ryanair Holdings plc has a 1 year low of $36.96 and a 1 year high of $57.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $45.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.84.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The transportation company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.20. Ryanair had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 21.46%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ryanair Holdings plc will post 3.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.