Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. reached a new 52-week high of $46.88, closing at $46.81, amidst trading volume of 51,884 shares.
• Despite the recent high, analysts have a consensus rating of "Sell" on the stock, with Wall Street Zen lowering its rating from "buy" to "hold" and Weiss Ratings assigning a "sell (d+)" rating.
• The company recently cut its dividend, with a payout ratio of 206.45%, and a quarterly dividend of $0.16 was paid in August.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $46.88 and last traded at $46.81, with a volume of 51884 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RGR has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Sell".

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $761.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 152.26 and a beta of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $38.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.19.

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

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s payout ratio is 206.45%.

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

In related news, Director Christopher John Killoy sold 8,776 shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $351,040.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,249 shares in the company, valued at $1,129,960. The trade was a 23.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 239.4% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 100,834 shares of the company's stock worth $3,962,000 after purchasing an additional 71,128 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the first quarter valued at $2,223,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 11.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 458,328 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,008,000 after acquiring an additional 46,410 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the third quarter valued at $1,931,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 27.1% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 202,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,262,000 after purchasing an additional 43,079 shares during the last quarter. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 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.

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