Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as $48.75 and last traded at $48.4150, with a volume of 157,410 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $40.19 and a 200 day moving average of $39.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $783.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.40 and a beta of 0.15.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.10. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 6.58% and a net margin of 2.11%. The company had revenue of $158.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal 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 1.7%. 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%.

Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In other Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. news, VP Michael Wilson sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president owned 628 shares in the company, valued at $26,344.60. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their position. 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 owned by corporate insiders.

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $117,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $150,000. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

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.