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Here's Why Investors Should Give Ryanair Stock a Miss Now

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Key Takeaways

  • RYAAY faces rising costs and macro uncertainty, pressuring profitability and flexibility.
  • Ryanair's fiscal 2027 and 2028 earnings estimates were cut sharply in the past 60 days.
  • RYAAY shares fell 17.6% in three months, trailing airline industry's 10.1% decline.

Ryanair (RYAAY - Free Report) is facing mounting pressure from increased expenses, hindering the company’s prospects. A challenging macro-environment scenario is another major headwind significantly impacting the company’s operations, making it an unattractive choice for investors’ portfolios.

Let’s delve deeper

RYAAY: Key Risks to Watch

Southward Earnings Estimate Revision: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2027 earnings has been revised 20.2% downward over the past 60 days. For fiscal 2028, the consensus mark for earnings has been revised 13.4% downward over the same time frame.

The unfavorable estimate revision indicates brokers’ lack of confidence in the stock.

Dim Price Performance:  The company’s price trend reveals that its shares have declined 11.3% over  the past three months, underperforming the Transportation - Airline industry’s 10.1% decline.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Weak Zacks Rank: RYAAY currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Bearish Industry Rank: The industry to which Ryanair belongs currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 217 (out of 243). Such an unfavorable rank places it in the bottom 15% of Zacks Industries. Studies show that 50% of a stock’s price movement is directly related to the performance of the industry group to which it belongs.

A mediocre stock within a strong group is likely to outperform a robust stock in a weak industry. Hence, reckoning the industry’s performance becomes imperative.

Headwinds: Ryanair is grappling with increased operating expenses, as its total operating costs rose steadily from approximately $2.7 billion in fiscal 2021 to $5.6 billion in fiscal 2022, $10.1 billion in fiscal 2023, $12.3 billion in fiscal 2024 and $13.4 billion in fiscal 2025. The increase was driven by business expansion, inflationary pressures, higher fuel and labor costs, and broader operational spending. The persistent rise in expenses continues to pressure the company’s profitability and financial flexibility, reflecting the growing burden of higher operating costs.

The company is also being affected by a challenging macroeconomic environment. Operational and compliance risks are being heightened by economic uncertainty, evolving tariff policies and rising geopolitical tensions. As a result, investments are being delayed, forecasts are being reassessed, and greater agility is being required from companies, adding another layer of uncertainty to RYAAY’s near-term prospects.

Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD - Free Report) and International Seaways (INSW - Free Report) . 

EXPD currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Expeditors has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.9% for the current year.  The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 13.96%.

INSW currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.

INSW has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 33.93%.

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