Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Rush Enterprises a consensus rating of Hold (five firms: 1 sell, 1 hold, 3 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $80.33.
• Rush recently beat quarterly estimates—EPS $0.81 versus $0.69 expected and revenue $1.77B versus $1.72B—and the stock trades near its 52‑week high (opened at $74.92) with a $5.76B market cap.
• Insiders have sold 33,750 shares (~$2.35M) in the last 90 days though they still own 12.68% of the company, and Rush pays a quarterly dividend that annualizes to $0.76 (about a 1.0% yield).

Shares of Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.3333.

Several analysts have commented on RUSHA shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Rush Enterprises in a research note on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Rush Enterprises from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up from $55.00) on shares of Rush Enterprises in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Rush Enterprises from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $73.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of Rush Enterprises in a report on Wednesday, February 18th.

Rush Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of RUSHA stock opened at $74.92 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.91, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.89. Rush Enterprises has a 52 week low of $45.67 and a 52 week high of $76.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $68.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.57.

Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.72 billion. Rush Enterprises had a net margin of 3.55% and a return on equity of 11.96%. Analysts predict that Rush Enterprises will post 3.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rush Enterprises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Rush Enterprises's payout ratio is 23.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rush Enterprises

In other news, SVP Michael L. Goldstone sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.86, for a total value of $323,370.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,590 shares in the company, valued at $904,717.40. The trade was a 26.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael Mcroberts sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.81, for a total transaction of $566,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,149,175.49. This trade represents a 33.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,349,450. Corporate insiders own 12.68% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rush Enterprises

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RUSHA. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Rush Enterprises by 33.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,786 shares of the company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Rush Enterprises by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 24,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Rush Enterprises by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 36,225 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Rush Enterprises by 18.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 390,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,851,000 after purchasing an additional 60,615 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in Rush Enterprises during the 1st quarter valued at about $221,000. 84.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Rush Enterprises Company Profile

Rush Enterprises, Inc, headquartered in New Braunfels, Texas, is a leading distributor of commercial vehicles and related products in the United States. Through its Rush Truck Centers subsidiary, the company sells new and used medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses and specialty vehicles, while also offering factory-authorized parts, collision repair, maintenance and warranty support across its network of dealerships.

Founded in 1965, Rush Enterprises has grown to encompass more than 150 locations in over 20 states, partnering with major manufacturers including Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, Volvo and Mack.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.