Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) Insider Darrell Thomas Hughes Sells 8,197 Shares

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) insider Darrell Thomas Hughes sold 8,197 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.01, for a total value of $213,203.97. Following the transaction, the insider owned 37,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $971,785.62. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Ryanair Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:RYAAY opened at $57.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.90 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.13. Ryanair Holdings PLC has a 1 year low of $53.14 and a 1 year high of $74.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $58.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.54.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 18th. The transportation company reported ($0.86) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.95) by $0.09. Ryanair had a net margin of 13.95% and a return on equity of 25.58%. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.08 billion. Analysts predict that Ryanair Holdings PLC will post 4.65 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ryanair

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RYAAY. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ryanair by 658.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 992,245 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $42,041,000 after purchasing an additional 861,361 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ryanair by 122.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,011 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $750,000 after buying an additional 7,152 shares in the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ryanair in the 2nd quarter valued at $263,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ryanair by 99.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ryanair during the 2nd quarter worth $295,000. 43.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on RYAAY shares. Evercore upgraded Ryanair from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.67.

Trending Headlines about Ryanair

Here are the key news stories impacting Ryanair this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Several Ryanair insiders sold shares, but the filings state the transactions were made to cover tax withholding obligations tied to vesting equity awards, which usually makes the activity less concerning for investors. CEO Andreas Gruber sale filing
• Neutral Sentiment: The sales were spread across top management, including the CEO, CFO, CMO, and other insiders, but the disclosures do not indicate a change in the company’s operating outlook or a strategic shift. CFO Tracey Mccann sale filing
• Neutral Sentiment: The insider selling may keep some pressure on sentiment in the short term, but because it appears routine and tax-related, it is less likely to be viewed as a strong bearish signal. CEO Eddie Joseph Wilson sale filing

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.