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

Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,973,398 shares, an increase of 47.0% from the January 15th total of 1,342,515 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,657,875 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 0.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,657,875 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days.

Ryanair Price Performance

Shares of RYAAY opened at $65.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Ryanair has a 12 month low of $38.52 and a 12 month high of $74.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.05. The company has a market cap of $34.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.23.

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The transportation company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.16 billion. Ryanair had a return on equity of 29.76% and a net margin of 15.04%. On average, research analysts forecast that Ryanair will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryanair Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders 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 payout ratio is currently 14.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RYAAY. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $71.00 target price on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of Ryanair from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ryanair in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ryanair currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryanair

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ryanair during the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Ryanair during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,844,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Ryanair by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 1,106,498 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $80,004,000 after purchasing an additional 21,020 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Ryanair by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 129,552 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,352,000 after purchasing an additional 18,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ryanair by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,498 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.66% of the company’s stock.

About Ryanair

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.