Steven Keller Sells 20,678 Shares of Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) Stock

Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA) CFO Steven Keller sold 20,678 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.73, for a total transaction of $1,669,334.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 84,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,811,513.02. This represents a 19.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Rush Enterprises Price Performance

Shares of RUSHA opened at $82.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.93, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.28. Rush Enterprises, Inc. has a twelve month low of $45.67 and a twelve month high of $83.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Shares of Rush Enterprises are scheduled to split on Tuesday, August 11th. The 3-2 split was recently announced. The newly issued shares will be issued to shareholders after the closing bell on Monday, August 10th.

Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.89 billion. Rush Enterprises had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 11.65%. Equities analysts forecast that Rush Enterprises, Inc. will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Rush Enterprises Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 9th. Rush Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.89%.

Key Rush Enterprises News

Here are the key news stories impacting Rush Enterprises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: An analyst price target was raised to $95, suggesting further potential upside and reinforcing the stock’s consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. The average analyst target is approximately $87. Rush Enterprises Price Target Raised to $95.00
• Positive Sentiment: Rush Enterprises recently exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.91 in earnings per share versus the $0.86 consensus estimate, while revenue of $1.90 billion slightly topped forecasts. The results support the company’s earnings outlook, with analysts expecting about $3.75 in full-year EPS.
• Neutral Sentiment: A previously announced 3-for-2 stock split is scheduled before the market opens on August 11, with shares distributed after the August 10 market close. The split does not change the company’s underlying value but may improve trading accessibility.
• Negative Sentiment: Rush Enterprises insiders reported substantial selling: CEO William M. Rusty Rush sold 78,750 shares for about $6.38 million, CFO Steven L. Keller sold 22,500 shares worth roughly $1.82 million, and SVP Michael L. Goldstone sold 4,500 shares valued at approximately $365,000. The combined sales totaled about $8.56 million and reduced the executives’ holdings, potentially weighing on investor sentiment. Each executive retained a meaningful stake after the transactions. Rush Enterprises Insider Sale Filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on RUSHA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Rush Enterprises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on Rush Enterprises from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Rush Enterprises from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Rush Enterprises in a research report on Monday, April 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Rush Enterprises from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.00.

Institutional Trading of Rush Enterprises

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Rush Enterprises by 75.4% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Rush Enterprises by 495.4% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Rush Enterprises by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rush Enterprises in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Rush Enterprises by 5,790.9% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 648 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. 84.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Rush Enterprises

Rush Enterprises, Inc, headquartered in New Braunfels, Texas, is a leading distributor of commercial vehicles and related products in the United States. Through its Rush Truck Centers subsidiary, the company sells new and used medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses and specialty vehicles, while also offering factory-authorized parts, collision repair, maintenance and warranty support across its network of dealerships.

Founded in 1965, Rush Enterprises has grown to encompass more than 150 locations in over 20 states, partnering with major manufacturers including Kenworth, Peterbilt, Freightliner, Volvo and Mack.