Brian Robie Hedges Sells 25,000 Shares of Russel Metals (TSE:RUS) Stock

Russel Metals Inc. (TSE:RUS) Director Brian Robie Hedges sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$81.54, for a total transaction of C$2,038,500.00.

Brian Robie Hedges also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, August 13th, Brian Robie Hedges bought 1,000 shares of Russel Metals stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of C$80.48 per share, for a total transaction of C$80,480.00.
• On Tuesday, June 9th, Brian Robie Hedges sold 10,000 shares of Russel Metals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$63.25, for a total transaction of C$632,500.00.
• On Thursday, May 28th, Brian Robie Hedges sold 5,000 shares of Russel Metals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of C$62.10, for a total transaction of C$310,500.00.

Russel Metals Stock Down 1.0%

Russel Metals stock opened at C$79.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.88, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.44. Russel Metals Inc. has a fifty-two week low of C$39.09 and a fifty-two week high of C$83.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of C$66.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$56.76. The firm has a market cap of C$4.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.21.

Russel Metals (TSE:RUS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported C$1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$1.66 billion for the quarter. Russel Metals had a return on equity of 13.09% and a net margin of 4.04%.

Russel Metals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 28th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Russel Metals’s payout ratio is 44.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on RUS. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Russel Metals from C$51.00 to C$56.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Russel Metals from C$76.00 to C$89.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Russel Metals from C$64.00 to C$85.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Russel Metals from C$68.00 to C$92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, TD boosted their price objective on shares of Russel Metals from C$68.00 to C$94.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Russel Metals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$76.89.

Trending Headlines about Russel Metals

Here are the key news stories impacting Russel Metals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see further upside: TD Securities raised its price target to C$94 and maintained a Buy rating, while Scotiabank lifted its target to C$89. Stifel Nicolaus also set an C$85 target, supporting the recent bullish outlook. TD analyst expects Russel Metals stock to rise Scotiabank raises Russel Metals price target
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend announced: Russel Metals declared a C$0.44-per-share quarterly dividend, equivalent to C$1.76 annually and a yield of approximately 2.2%. The dividend may appeal to income-focused investors and signals continued shareholder returns. The ex-dividend date is August 28, with payment scheduled for September 15 to investors of record.
• Neutral Sentiment: One director made a small purchase: Director Brian Robie Hedges bought 1,000 shares at an average C$80.48, indicating some confidence near the current trading range. However, the purchase followed a much larger sale by the same director. Russel Metals director buys shares
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling raises caution: Hedges sold 25,000 shares for approximately C$2.04 million on August 11, while Director James Francis Dinning sold another 3,000 shares for C$240,000 on August 13. The combined sales substantially exceed the recent purchase and may weigh on sentiment, particularly with the stock near its 52-week high. Russel Metals insider transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk remains: Raymond James downgraded the stock to Hold, and the reported consensus target of C$76.89 is below recent trading levels. This suggests the market may already be pricing in much of the expected improvement.

About Russel Metals

Russel Metals is one of the largest metals distribution companies in North America with a growing focus on value-added processing. It carries on business in three segments: metals service centers, energy field stores and steel distributors. Its network of metals service centers carries an extensive line of metal products in a wide range of sizes, shapes and specifications, including carbon hot rolled and cold finished steel, pipe and tubular products, stainless steel, aluminum and other non-ferrous specialty metals.