Blue Trust Inc. Sells 6,439 Shares of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI)

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI) by 50.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,240 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,439 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands were worth $63,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SWBI. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 29,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 1,598 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 240.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 80,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,046,000 after acquiring an additional 56,800 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 380.9% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 62,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 49,264 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 0.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Smith & Wesson Brands by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 131,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,708,000 after purchasing an additional 11,006 shares in the last quarter. 59.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Smith & Wesson Brands Trading Down 1.8 %

Smith & Wesson Brands stock opened at $10.76 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 3.97 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $473.47 million, a PE ratio of 13.79 and a beta of 1.02. The business’s fifty day moving average is $10.40 and its 200 day moving average is $12.32. Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $9.68 and a one year high of $18.05.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.06). Smith & Wesson Brands had a net margin of 7.00% and a return on equity of 8.78%. The company had revenue of $129.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $133.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Smith & Wesson Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Thursday, December 19th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.83%. Smith & Wesson Brands’s payout ratio is 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.