Wall Street Zen Upgrades Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) to "Buy"

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Friday.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RGR traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $35.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 229,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 158,664. The firm has a market capitalization of $588.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08 and a beta of 0.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.27. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.74 and a fifty-two week high of $46.40.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.19). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 5.70%. The company had revenue of $135.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.05 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In other Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. news, VP Timothy Lowney acquired 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $33.37 per share, for a total transaction of $73,414.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 8,874 shares in the company, valued at approximately $296,125.38. This represents a 32.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Phillip Widman acquired 4,000 shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.58 per share, with a total value of $134,320.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 31,757 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,066,400.06. The trade was a 14.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 3.1% during the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,125 shares of the company's stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 32,453 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,148,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,387 shares of the company's stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P raised its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 1.6% in the first quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 24,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Novem Group lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.7% during the first quarter. Novem Group now owns 9,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. 64.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.