Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock opened at $37.19 on Friday. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.33 and a 12 month high of $48.21. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $38.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.08. The company has a market cap of $594.28 million, a PE ratio of 49.59 and a beta of 0.17.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.10. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 2.11% and a return on equity of 6.58%. The company had revenue of $158.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $128.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.67%.

Insider Activity at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In other Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. news, CEO Todd William Seyfert bought 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.15 per share, for a total transaction of $58,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,500 shares in the company, valued at $58,725. The trade was a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bruce T. Pettet purchased 1,000 shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.89 per share, with a total value of $39,890.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,606 shares in the company, valued at $303,403.34. This trade represents a 15.14% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 7,500 shares of company stock worth $288,615 in the last three months. 4.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RGR. UBS Group AG grew its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 514,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,366,000 after buying an additional 122,111 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 496,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,205,000 after buying an additional 3,886 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 397,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,933,000 after buying an additional 27,107 shares in the last quarter. JRM Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $15,916,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 377,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,331,000 after acquiring an additional 64,190 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc, founded in 1949 by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm, is a leading American designer and manufacturer of firearms. Headquartered in Newport, New Hampshire, the company has established a reputation for precision engineering and durable products. Its manufacturing footprint includes facilities in Newport and Mayodan, North Carolina, where it maintains a vertically integrated production model spanning metallurgy, machining, and assembly.

The company’s product portfolio encompasses a broad range of small arms, including centerfire and rimfire rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, and accessories.