JRM Investment Counsel LLC Purchases New Holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. $RGR

JRM Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 397,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,916,000. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. comprises approximately 4.2% of JRM Investment Counsel LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. JRM Investment Counsel LLC owned 2.49% of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $9,486,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $8,011,000. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 31.1% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 514,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,366,000 after acquiring an additional 122,111 shares during the last quarter. HRT Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $3,805,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 118.7% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 198,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,648,000 after acquiring an additional 107,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on RGR shares. Zacks Research upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Lake Street Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Phillip Widman acquired 5,000 shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $38.00 per share, with a total value of $190,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 45,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,717,904. The trade was a 12.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce T. Pettet acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.89 per share, with a total value of $39,890.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 7,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $303,403.34. This trade represents a 15.14% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased a total of 7,500 shares of company stock valued at $288,615 in the last ninety days. 4.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:RGR opened at $38.05 on Friday. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.33 and a 12-month high of $48.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $606.45 million, a P/E ratio of -52.12 and a beta of 0.17. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.99.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.07). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a positive return on equity of 5.96% and a negative net margin of 2.18%.The company had revenue of $141.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.26 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently -60.27%.

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.