Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RGR opened at $39.77 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.77. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.11 and a fifty-two week high of $48.20. The firm has a market cap of $666.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.47 and a beta of 0.18.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.62. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 5.70%. The business had revenue of $145.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $137.77 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.24%.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of RGR. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 71.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 411,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,570,000 after purchasing an additional 172,055 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 381,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares during the last quarter. Rule One Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the third quarter worth about $9,142,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 202,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,174,000 after buying an additional 22,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 184,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,537,000 after acquiring an additional 22,670 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

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.