Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $74.44 and last traded at $74.51, with a volume of 14496 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on RUSHA shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $73.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of Rush Enterprises in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Rush Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (up from $55.00) on shares of Rush Enterprises in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research raised shares of Rush Enterprises from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Rush Enterprises from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rush Enterprises presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.50.

Rush Enterprises Trading Up 0.5%

The business’s fifty day moving average is $62.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.92.

Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.12. Rush Enterprises had a return on equity of 11.96% and a net margin of 3.55%.The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Rush Enterprises, Inc. will post 3.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rush Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. Rush Enterprises’s payout ratio is currently 22.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rush Enterprises

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RUSHA. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rush Enterprises by 540.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 846,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,604,000 after buying an additional 714,253 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its stake in Rush Enterprises by 664.8% in the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 98,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,098,000 after buying an additional 86,023 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its holdings in Rush Enterprises by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 505,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,023,000 after acquiring an additional 14,387 shares during the period. EULAV Asset Management lifted its position in Rush Enterprises by 17.1% during the third quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 276,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,763,000 after acquiring an additional 40,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Rush Enterprises by 4.5% during the second quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 843,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,469,000 after acquiring an additional 36,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.43% of the company’s stock.

Rush Enterprises Company Profile

Rush Enterprises, Inc, headquartered in New Braunfels, Texas, is a leading distributor of commercial vehicles and related products in the United States. Through its Rush Truck Centers subsidiary, the company sells new and used medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses and specialty vehicles, while also offering factory-authorized parts, collision repair, maintenance and warranty support across its network of dealerships.

Founded in 1965, Rush Enterprises has grown to encompass more than 150 locations in over 20 states, partnering with major manufacturers including Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, Volvo and Mack.