UBS Group AG Lowers Stock Position in Rush Enterprises, Inc. $RUSHA

UBS Group AG reduced its stake in Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 256,906 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,607 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Rush Enterprises were worth $13,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. EULAV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Rush Enterprises by 17.1% during the third quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 276,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,763,000 after acquiring an additional 40,378 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Rush Enterprises by 14.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 238,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,776,000 after acquiring an additional 30,293 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Rush Enterprises by 38.6% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,173,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,743,000 after acquiring an additional 326,917 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Rush Enterprises by 399.5% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 16,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $882,000 after acquiring an additional 13,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Rush Enterprises by 21.3% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 225,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,051,000 after acquiring an additional 39,604 shares in the last quarter. 84.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Rush Enterprises from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Rush Enterprises from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $85.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Rush Enterprises in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Rush Enterprises in a research note on Monday, April 27th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Rush Enterprises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $83.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Michael L. Goldstone sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.86, for a total value of $323,370.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 12,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $904,717.40. This trade represents a 26.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Raymond Joseph Chess sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.05, for a total transaction of $650,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 41,170 shares in the company, valued at $2,678,108.50. This represents a 19.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 41,750 shares of company stock worth $2,927,290 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 12.68% of the company’s stock.

Rush Enterprises Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of Rush Enterprises stock opened at $70.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 1.46. Rush Enterprises, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.67 and a 52-week high of $76.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $68.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.24.

Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.05. Rush Enterprises had a net margin of 3.65% and a return on equity of 11.87%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.73 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Rush Enterprises, Inc. will post 3.79 EPS for the current year.

Rush Enterprises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th will be issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Rush Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.96%.

Rush Enterprises Company Profile

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.