Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 460,200 shares, a drop of 18.2% from the March 15th total of 562,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 146,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

Shares of RGR stock traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $39.21. The stock had a trading volume of 92,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 152,289. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.11 and a 12-month high of $47.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $38.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $657.15 million, a P/E ratio of 22.15 and a beta of 0.22.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The company had revenue of $145.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.77 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Institutional Trading of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RGR. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 52,011 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,044,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 115.1% in the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 968 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 748.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 18,642.9% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 1,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 411,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,570,000 after buying an additional 172,055 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

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.