Artemis Investment Management LLP Sells 565,889 Shares of Ryanair Holdings PLC $RYAAY

Artemis Investment Management LLP lessened its stake in Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) by 55.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 457,262 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 565,889 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned approximately 0.09% of Ryanair worth $25,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Ryanair by 48.1% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Ryanair in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Ryanair in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Leonteq Securities AG increased its stake in Ryanair by 2,084.9% during the 2nd quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 2,032 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 1,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Ryanair by 68.4% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. 43.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ryanair Stock Performance

Shares of RYAAY stock traded down $1.89 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $54.11. The company had a trading volume of 1,486,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,459,010. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 12-month low of $51.68 and a 12-month high of $74.24. The company has a market capitalization of $28.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $56.04 and a 200-day moving average of $58.53.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 17th. The transportation company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 21.23% and a net margin of 12.14%. On average, analysts forecast that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 3.99 EPS for the current year.

Ryanair Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.4434 per share. Ryanair’s payout ratio is 28.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RYAAY has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Ryanair in a research report on Friday, August 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $62.90 target price on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Zacks Research cut shares of Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ryanair from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ryanair currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.97.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc is an Ireland-based airline group that operates low-cost, scheduled passenger services primarily across Europe. Through its operating airlines, including Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz, Lauda and Ryanair UK, the group provides point-to-point air travel connecting cities and regional airports in Europe and selected destinations in North Africa.

The company’s core business is the sale of airline tickets, supported by ancillary services such as priority boarding, reserved seating, checked baggage, onboard food and beverages, travel insurance and car-hire or accommodation-related offerings.