Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,260,000 shares, a decrease of 37.6% from the September 15th total of 2,020,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,240,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,240,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RYAAY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Ryanair from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Ryanair from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $76.00.

Institutional Trading of Ryanair

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,043 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 40.4% during the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd now owns 702 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Ryanair by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,094 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 5,834 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $336,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.66% of the company’s stock.

Ryanair Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ RYAAY opened at $61.33 on Wednesday. Ryanair has a one year low of $38.52 and a one year high of $67.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $61.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.38 billion, a PE ratio of 14.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.38.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.16 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 27.91% and a net margin of 14.42%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ryanair will post 3.09 EPS for the current year.

Ryanair Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.534 per share. This is a positive change from Ryanair’s previous special dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. Ryanair’s payout ratio is currently 16.67%.

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.