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 shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 289,559 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Insider Transactions at Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

In other Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. 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 sale, the vice president owned 628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,344.60. This represents a 48.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 4.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 344 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the third quarter worth about $117,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the first quarter worth about $150,000. 64.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RGR traded up $0.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $43.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,219,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 187,211. The firm has a market cap of $692.90 million, a P/E ratio of 57.82 and a beta of 0.15. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.33 and a fifty-two week high of $47.50. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.69.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $158.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.54 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 6.58% and a net margin of 2.11%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Equities 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. 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, August 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 112.00%.

About Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.

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.