Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Shares Gap Up After Dividend Announcement

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock had previously closed at $35.46, but opened at $37.33. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. shares last traded at $39.44, with a volume of 72,218 shares trading hands.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. This is a boost from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.43%.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Trading Up 12.3 %

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $35.53 and its 200-day moving average is $38.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $668.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02 and a beta of 0.18.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. The business had revenue of $145.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $137.77 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 9.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Novem Group acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $307,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 37,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 7,531 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $250,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 351.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 1,288 shares during the period. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Co, Inc engages in the business of designing, manufacturing, and selling firearms to domestic customers. It operates under the Firearms and Castings segments. The Firearms segment focuses on manufacturing and selling rifles, pistols, and revolvers principally to a number of federally licensed, independent wholesale distributors.