Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday. Approximately 164,580 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the previous session’s volume of 166,943 shares. The stock last traded at $42.8390 and had previously closed at $43.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.69. The firm has a market cap of $685.86 million, a P/E ratio of 57.23 and a beta of 0.15.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $158.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.54 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 6.58% and a net margin of 2.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 112.00%.

Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In related news, VP Michael Wilson sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.95, for a total transaction of $25,170.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,344.60. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 94,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,770,000 after buying an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 32.4% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 1,456 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc designs, manufactures and sells firearms under the Ruger brand. Its product portfolio includes rifles, pistols, revolvers and shotguns, serving civilian sporting, hunting, personal protection and law enforcement markets.

The company also produces and markets firearms under the Marlin brand. Its offerings include traditional and modern sporting rifles, rimfire and centerfire firearms, and related accessories. Sturm, Ruger primarily serves the United States through a network of independent distributors and retailers, with products also sold in select international markets.

Founded in 1949 by William B.