Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday. Approximately 164,580 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 1% from the previous session’s volume of 166,943 shares. The stock last traded at $42.8390 and had previously closed at $43.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RGR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $690.90 million, a PE ratio of 57.74 and a beta of 0.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $39.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.67.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $158.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $128.54 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 6.58% and a net margin of 2.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 112.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael Wilson sold 600 shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.95, for a total value of $25,170.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,344.60. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 4.60% of the company’s stock.

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

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 15.0% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 548,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,753,000 after acquiring an additional 71,423 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,541,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $4,773,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $1,058,000. Finally, JRM Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $15,916,000. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc designs, manufactures and sells firearms under the Ruger brand. Its product portfolio includes rifles, pistols, revolvers and shotguns, serving civilian sporting, hunting, personal protection and law enforcement markets.

The company also produces and markets firearms under the Marlin brand. Its offerings include traditional and modern sporting rifles, rimfire and centerfire firearms, and related accessories. Sturm, Ruger primarily serves the United States through a network of independent distributors and retailers, with products also sold in select international markets.

Founded in 1949 by William B.