Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Lake Street Capital lifted their price target on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $43.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of RGR stock opened at $38.08 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $36.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.12. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.33 and a 1 year high of $48.21. The stock has a market cap of $607.00 million, a PE ratio of -136.00 and a beta of 0.19.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $151.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $139.24 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 6.93%. The company’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. As a group, equities 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently -57.14%.

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

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 6,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd increased its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 16,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 2.6% during the second quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 15,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the period. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc, founded in 1949 by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm, is a leading American designer and manufacturer of firearms. Headquartered in Newport, New Hampshire, the company has established a reputation for precision engineering and durable products. Its manufacturing footprint includes facilities in Newport and Mayodan, North Carolina, where it maintains a vertically integrated production model spanning metallurgy, machining, and assembly.

The company’s product portfolio encompasses a broad range of small arms, including centerfire and rimfire rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, and accessories.