Ryder System (NYSE:R) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $150.27 and last traded at $149.73, with a volume of 61908 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $146.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Ryder System from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Ryder System from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Ryder System from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Vertical Research raised shares of Ryder System from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $125.00 to $145.00 in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of Ryder System in a research report on Monday, July 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.86.

Ryder System Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $139.92 and a 200-day moving average of $128.75. The firm has a market cap of $6.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.42 and a beta of 1.28.

Ryder System (NYSE:R) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The transportation company reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.87 by $0.13. Ryder System had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 17.22%. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ryder System, Inc. will post 12.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ryder System Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Ryder System’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.67%.

Insider Activity at Ryder System

In other Ryder System news, EVP Francisco Jr. Lopez sold 12,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.32, for a total value of $1,773,543.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 47,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,656,570.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ryder System

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of R. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ryder System by 2.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,223,396 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $627,800,000 after buying an additional 109,930 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,442,545 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $396,099,000 after purchasing an additional 890,986 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ryder System by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,915,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $237,298,000 after purchasing an additional 62,815 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Ryder System by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,722,222 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $213,345,000 after buying an additional 31,550 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Ryder System by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 890,877 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $110,362,000 after buying an additional 17,009 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.47% of the company’s stock.

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.