Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) Stock Position Increased by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) by 35.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,120 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,441 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands were worth $173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SWBI. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,067,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,865,000 after purchasing an additional 7,260 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in Smith & Wesson Brands during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,354,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Smith & Wesson Brands by 9.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 131,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,708,000 after buying an additional 11,006 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Smith & Wesson Brands by 18.5% during the third quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 88,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,148,000 after buying an additional 13,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 1.8% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 80,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,157,000 after buying an additional 1,421 shares during the period. 59.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SWBI. Lake Street Capital upgraded shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Smith & Wesson Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th.

Smith & Wesson Brands Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SWBI opened at $10.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $467.72 million, a P/E ratio of 13.63 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.83. Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.68 and a fifty-two week high of $18.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 3.97 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $129.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $133.53 million. Smith & Wesson Brands had a return on equity of 8.78% and a net margin of 7.00%. The business’s revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Smith & Wesson Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.89%. Smith & Wesson Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

About Smith & Wesson Brands

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, design, and provision of firearms. Its portfolio includes handguns, long guns, handcuffs, suppressor, and other firearm-related products. The firm’s brands are Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech.