Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Stake Increased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 83,660 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,123 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.51% of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. worth $3,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 748.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 653 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 115.1% in the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 18,642.9% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. increased its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 351.0% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $209,000. Institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RGR opened at $35.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $589.22 million, a PE ratio of 19.44 and a beta of 0.10. The business has a fifty day moving average of $36.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.17. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $32.74 and a 52-week high of $46.01.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.19). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company had revenue of $135.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.05 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.40 EPS. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.34%.

Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In related news, Director Christopher John Killoy sold 8,583 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.01, for a total transaction of $317,656.83. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 41,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,538,098.59. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Timothy Lowney purchased 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $33.37 per share, for a total transaction of $73,414.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president owned 8,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $296,125.38. This represents a 32.96% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 29th.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Co, Inc engages in the business of designing, manufacturing, and selling firearms to domestic customers. It operates through 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.