Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Stock Rating Raised to Hold at Zacks Research

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

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on RGR. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of 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 issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RGR opened at $43.74 on Monday. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.33 and a 52-week high of $48.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $698.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.32 and a beta of 0.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $39.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.56.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $128.54 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s revenue was up 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 112.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael Wilson sold 600 shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.95, for a total transaction of $25,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,344.60. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the second quarter valued at $49,541,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 15.0% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 548,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,753,000 after purchasing an additional 71,423 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,773,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the second quarter valued at $1,058,000. Finally, JRM Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the first quarter worth about $15,916,000. 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 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.