Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) saw a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,342,515 shares, a decline of 16.0% from the December 31st total of 1,598,501 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,127,468 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,127,468 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research raised Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ryanair from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.50.

Ryanair Price Performance

Shares of RYAAY stock traded down $1.30 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $70.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,261,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,401,291. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ryanair has a twelve month low of $38.52 and a twelve month high of $74.24. The stock has a market cap of $37.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day moving average of $70.03 and a 200-day moving average of $64.78.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The transportation company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.16 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 29.76% and a net margin of 15.04%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ryanair will post 3.09 EPS for the current year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.4545 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Ryanair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in Ryanair during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 280.6% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ryanair by 76.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 484 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Ryanair by 1,057.4% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 544 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Ryanair by 250.9% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 593 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ryanair Company Profile

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Irish low-cost airline group headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 1984, the company grew into one of Europe’s largest budget carriers by offering point-to-point scheduled passenger services with an emphasis on low fares, high aircraft utilization and rapid turnaround times. Ryanair serves a broad network across Europe and nearby regions, focusing on both intra-European leisure travel and short-haul business routes.

The group primarily operates a single-type fleet based on the Boeing 737 family, supplemented by a mix of in-house and subsidiary airlines that help serve different markets and regulatory environments.