Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. $RGR Shares Sold by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its Sturm, Ruger position sharply, reducing its stake by 71.2% in the fourth quarter and selling 366,360 shares. After the sale, UBS still held 148,150 shares worth about $4.84 million.
• Ruger reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings of $0.27 per share missing estimates, while revenue of $141.36 million came in above expectations and rose 4.1% year over year.
• The company raised its dividend and saw insider buying, increasing the quarterly payout to $0.11 per share from $0.08. Directors and the CEO also bought shares recently, signaling confidence from management.

UBS Group AG trimmed its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Free Report) by 71.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 148,150 shares of the company's stock after selling 366,360 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.93% of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. worth $4,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RGR. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 239.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 100,834 shares of the company's stock worth $3,962,000 after buying an additional 71,128 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,777 shares of the company's stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 83,236 shares of the company's stock worth $2,988,000 after purchasing an additional 14,687 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 160,619 shares of the company's stock worth $5,766,000 after purchasing an additional 5,747 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 259.6% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the period. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:RGR opened at $39.41 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.99. The stock has a market cap of $628.42 million, a P/E ratio of -53.99 and a beta of 0.21. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.33 and a 1-year high of $48.21.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $141.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $137.26 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a negative net margin of 2.18% and a positive return on equity of 5.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently -60.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Lake Street Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In other news, Director Bruce T. Pettet acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.89 per share, with a total value of $39,890.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $303,403.34. This represents a 15.14% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Todd William Seyfert acquired 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.15 per share, with a total value of $58,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,500 shares in the company, valued at $58,725. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 7,500 shares of company stock valued at $288,615 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.60% of the company's stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Profile

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.

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