Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $40.64, but opened at $38.68. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. shares last traded at $39.97, with a volume of 34,538 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Trading Down 0.8%

The firm has a market cap of $642.78 million, a P/E ratio of -143.98 and a beta of 0.15. The company’s 50-day moving average is $38.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.74.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last announced 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 business had revenue of $151.06 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $139.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.62 EPS. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.04. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s payout ratio is -114.29%.

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

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RGR. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 239.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 100,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,962,000 after buying an additional 71,128 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 9,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 21.4% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 83,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,988,000 after buying an additional 14,687 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 47,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,703,000 after buying an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 17,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $640,000 after buying an additional 1,071 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

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.