Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.45 and traded as high as $39.23. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. shares last traded at $38.86, with a volume of 125,081 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on RGR. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price target on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.00.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $619.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.23 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.45.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $141.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.26 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a positive return on equity of 5.96% and a negative net margin of 2.18%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a $0.11 dividend. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently -60.27%.

Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In other news, Director Phillip Widman purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $38.00 per share, for a total transaction of $190,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 45,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,717,904. This trade represents a 12.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Todd William Seyfert purchased 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.15 per share, for a total transaction of $58,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,725. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 7,500 shares of company stock worth $288,615. Company insiders own 4.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 138.2% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 93,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,042,000 after purchasing an additional 54,052 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,095,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,290,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 232.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 37,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 26,145 shares during the period. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $457,000. 64.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc, founded in 1949 by William B. Ruger and Alexander McCormick Sturm, is a leading American designer and manufacturer of firearms. Headquartered in Newport, New Hampshire, the company has established a reputation for precision engineering and durable products. Its manufacturing footprint includes facilities in Newport and Mayodan, North Carolina, where it maintains a vertically integrated production model spanning metallurgy, machining, and assembly.

The company’s product portfolio encompasses a broad range of small arms, including centerfire and rimfire rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, and accessories.