Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Makes New $439,000 Investment in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. $RGR

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. purchased a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 13,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $439,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of RGR. UBS Group AG increased its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 514,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,366,000 after purchasing an additional 122,111 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 118.7% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 198,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,648,000 after buying an additional 107,977 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $3,962,000 after buying an additional 71,128 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 2,446.1% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 61,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,653,000 after buying an additional 58,634 shares during the period. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 138.2% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 93,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,042,000 after buying an additional 54,052 shares during the period. 64.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE RGR opened at $43.47 on Friday. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.33 and a twelve month high of $48.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $693.20 million, a PE ratio of -155.24 and a beta of 0.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $40.20 and its 200 day moving average is $37.63.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.06). Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a negative net margin of 0.80% and a positive return on equity of 6.93%. The firm had revenue of $151.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $139.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.62 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This is a boost from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently -114.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on RGR. Lake Street Capital boosted their target price on Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Zacks Research cut Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

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.