Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report published on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of RGR traded up $0.97 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $38.08. The stock had a trading volume of 209,795 shares, compared to its average volume of 153,714. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.33 and a 52 week high of $48.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $36.94 and a 200 day moving average of $37.10. The company has a market cap of $607.00 million, a P/E ratio of -136.00 and a beta of 0.19.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.06). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a positive return on equity of 6.93% and a negative net margin of 0.80%.The business had revenue of $151.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $139.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s payout ratio is currently -57.14%.

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

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 239.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 100,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,962,000 after acquiring an additional 71,128 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the second quarter worth $234,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 36.8% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,606 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 21.4% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 83,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,988,000 after purchasing an additional 14,687 shares during the last quarter. 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.