Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $53.10 and last traded at $53.6750, with a volume of 22,096 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $52.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on RGR shares. Zacks Research raised Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.21. The company has a market capitalization of $792.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.45 and a beta of 0.11.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.07. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 7.97%. The company had revenue of $147.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $131.03 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is a decrease from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 83.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In related news, VP Michael Wilson sold 628 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.47, for a total value of $28,555.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,828 shares of company stock valued at $77,725. Corporate insiders own 4.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $319,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 59,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,524,000 after purchasing an additional 20,209 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $570,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 40,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,737,000 after purchasing an additional 12,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 1,013.4% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 831 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells firearms. Its products include rifles, pistols and revolvers marketed under the Ruger brand for sporting, hunting, personal protection and law enforcement uses. Founded in 1949 by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm, the company has a long history in the U.S. firearms industry. It manufactures its products in the United States and sells them primarily through independent wholesale distributors and federally licensed retailers.