Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Stock Short Interest Climbs 80.8%

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 976,559 shares, an increase of 80.8% from the September 15th total of 540,201 shares. Currently, 6.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 289,559 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

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

RGR stock traded up $0.59 during trading on Thursday, hitting $43.59. 59,902 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 175,508. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.33 and a 52 week high of $47.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $39.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $696.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.14 and a beta of 0.15.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $158.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $128.54 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 2.11% and a return on equity of 6.58%. The firm’s revenue was up 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This is a boost from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 112.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on RGR. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael Wilson sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.95, for a total transaction of $25,170.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,344.60. This trade represents a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 4.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the third quarter worth about $117,000. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the third quarter worth about $273,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 32.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 714.8% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,000 after acquiring an additional 3,567 shares during the period. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 108.0% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 22,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $855,000 after acquiring an additional 11,723 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc designs, manufactures and sells firearms under the Ruger brand. Its product portfolio includes rifles, pistols, revolvers and shotguns, serving civilian sporting, hunting, personal protection and law enforcement markets.

The company also produces and markets firearms under the Marlin brand. Its offerings include traditional and modern sporting rifles, rimfire and centerfire firearms, and related accessories. Sturm, Ruger primarily serves the United States through a network of independent distributors and retailers, with products also sold in select international markets.

Founded in 1949 by William B.