Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. $RGR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has reduced its shareholding in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 0.7%, now holding 1,521,128 shares valued at approximately $59.77 million.
• The company's stock is currently trading at $35.09 with a market capitalization of $567.04 million and a PE ratio of 113.19.
• Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. recently cut its quarterly dividend to $0.16, reflecting a high payout ratio of 206.45%.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,521,128 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,906 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.19% of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. worth $59,765,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings 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 worth $14,570,000 after acquiring an additional 172,055 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 184,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,537,000 after purchasing an additional 22,670 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 177,660 shares of the company's stock worth $6,284,000 after buying an additional 96,703 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 141,773 shares of the company's stock worth $5,015,000 after buying an additional 4,181 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 98,102 shares of the company's stock worth $3,470,000 after buying an additional 15,928 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.00% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. news, Director Christopher John Killoy sold 8,583 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.01, for a total transaction of $317,656.83. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 41,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,538,098.59. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sarah F. Colbert sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.80, for a total transaction of $286,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,191.20. The trade was a 93.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 29th.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

Shares of RGR stock traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $34.64. 122,297 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 197,589. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $31.64 and a 12-month high of $42.76. The company has a market cap of $559.78 million, a P/E ratio of 111.74 and a beta of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.91.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $132.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $121.99 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 1.07%.The firm's revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s payout ratio is 206.45%.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

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