Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Monday morning.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RGR opened at $40.04 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $35.90 and its 200 day moving average is $38.76. The company has a market cap of $671.15 million, a PE ratio of 22.62 and a beta of 0.18. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.11 and a 1 year high of $48.20.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. The firm had revenue of $145.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.77 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 5.70%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. Analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. This is a boost from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 71.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 411,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,570,000 after acquiring an additional 172,055 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 381,193 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,487,000 after purchasing an additional 2,466 shares during the period. Rule One Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $9,142,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 202,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,174,000 after purchasing an additional 22,736 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 184,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,537,000 after purchasing an additional 22,670 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Company Profile

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