Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,110,000 shares, an increase of 33.9% from the January 31st total of 829,000 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 330,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Ryder System Price Performance

NYSE R opened at $155.84 on Thursday. Ryder System has a 52 week low of $106.88 and a 52 week high of $171.78. 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 stock has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $160.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.50.

Ryder System (NYSE:R) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Ryder System will post 13.68 EPS for the current year.

Ryder System Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Ryder System’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.22%.

Institutional Trading of Ryder System

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Keystone Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ryder System during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Ryder System during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Ryder System during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ryder System in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ryder System by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 87.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

R has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Ryder System from $160.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Ryder System from $176.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ryder System from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.00.

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.