Gradient Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY)

Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 11,603 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $506,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RYAAY. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 826.7% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 621,773 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $72,399,000 after acquiring an additional 554,680 shares in the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC raised its stake in Ryanair by 306.5% in the second quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 7,260 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 5,474 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 149.1% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 19,055 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $861,000 after buying an additional 11,404 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ryanair by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 393,030 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $17,757,000 after acquiring an additional 43,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ryanair in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,067,000. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on RYAAY shares. UBS Group upgraded Ryanair from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ryanair from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Ryanair from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.00.

Ryanair Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of RYAAY traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $46.14. The company had a trading volume of 984,934 shares, compared to its average volume of 927,566. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $44.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.06. Ryanair Holdings plc has a 52-week low of $36.96 and a 52-week high of $60.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.91 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $5.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.59 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 19.92% and a net margin of 11.38%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ryanair Holdings plc will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 17th will be given a $0.4677 dividend. This represents a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.33%.

Ryanair Company Profile

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.