Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $151.00.

RYAAY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Ryanair from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays raised shares of Ryanair from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Ryanair from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC grew its stake in Ryanair by 87.5% in the 3rd quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC now owns 750 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Ryanair by 153.1% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 891 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Ryanair by 261.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 893 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Ryanair in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in Ryanair by 150.0% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the period. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ryanair Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ RYAAY traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $46.79. 983,482 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,314,338. Ryanair has a 52-week low of $36.96 and a 52-week high of $60.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.50. The company's 50-day moving average is $44.21 and its 200-day moving average is $68.68. 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 quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The transportation company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.20. Ryanair had a return on equity of 19.92% and a net margin of 11.38%. Analysts expect that Ryanair will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryanair Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.4677 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 17th. This represents a yield of 4.2%. Ryanair's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.67%.

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.