Ryder System (NYSE:R) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ryder System (NYSE:R) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Monday.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on R. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Ryder System from $176.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ryder System from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.00.

Ryder System Stock Down 1.7 %

R stock opened at $167.93 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $152.64. Ryder System has a fifty-two week low of $106.88 and a fifty-two week high of $171.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14.

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

Ryder System Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Ryder System’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryder System

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ryder System in the 4th quarter worth approximately $314,075,000. Earnest Partners LLC grew its position in Ryder System by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,905,223 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $298,853,000 after buying an additional 45,393 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Ryder System by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 856,507 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $134,351,000 after buying an additional 13,529 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 843,895 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $132,373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ryder System by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 805,571 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $126,362,000 after buying an additional 24,052 shares during the period. 87.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ryder System

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.