Ryder System (NYSE:R) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $139.51, but opened at $127.83. Ryder System shares last traded at $138.32, with a volume of 17,869 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Ryder System from $176.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ryder System from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ryder System from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.00.

Ryder System Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $158.34 and a 200-day moving average of $154.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43 and a beta of 1.23.

Ryder System (NYSE:R) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $3.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.06. Ryder System had a return on equity of 17.23% and a net margin of 3.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ryder System, Inc. will post 13.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Ryder System Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Ryder System’s payout ratio is 29.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryder System

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of R. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in Ryder System by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 3,759 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $548,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Ryder System in the 3rd quarter valued at about $396,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Ryder System by 21.9% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,232 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ryder System by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 102,756 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,982,000 after acquiring an additional 13,586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ryder System in the 3rd quarter valued at about $550,000. 87.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ryder System Company Profile

Ryder System, Inc operates as a logistics and transportation company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Solutions (SCS), and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS). The FMS segment offers full-service leasing and leasing with flexible maintenance options; commercial vehicle rental services; and contract or transactional maintenance services of trucks, tractors, and trailers; access to diesel fuel; and fuel planning and tax reporting, cards, and monitoring services, and centralized billing, as well as sells used vehicles through its retail sales centers and www.ryder.com/used-trucks website, as well as digital and technology support services.