Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Short Interest Down 18.2% in March

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 460,200 shares, a decrease of 18.2% from the March 15th total of 562,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 146,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

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

Shares of RGR traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $38.97. 99,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 152,080. The company has a market cap of $653.22 million, a P/E ratio of 22.02 and a beta of 0.22. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.11 and a twelve month high of $47.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.11.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.62. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The firm had revenue of $145.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.77 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.24%.

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

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 748.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 653 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 115.1% during the 1st quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 18,642.9% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 351.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 32.5% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.00% of the company’s stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Sturm, Ruger & Co, Inc engages in the business of designing, manufacturing, and selling firearms to domestic customers. It operates through the Firearms and Castings segments. The Firearms segment focuses on manufacturing and selling rifles, pistols, and revolvers principally to a number of federally licensed, independent wholesale distributors.