Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Short Interest Up 28.4% in October

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 674,400 shares, an increase of 28.4% from the September 30th total of 525,100 shares. Approximately 4.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 122,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.5 days.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE RGR traded up $0.36 on Monday, hitting $41.03. 92,769 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 144,410. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $41.54 and a 200-day moving average of $42.78. The stock has a market cap of $691.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98 and a beta of 0.16. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.21 and a 52 week high of $55.58.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.29). The firm had revenue of $130.76 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $137.60 million. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 10.00% and a net margin of 6.36%. The company's revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.91 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 53.8% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 735 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,618 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the period. Palouse Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $77,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $108,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the first quarter worth $228,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.00% of the company's stock.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Company Profile

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells firearms under the Ruger name and trademark in the United States. The company operates through two segments: Firearms and Castings. It provides single-shot, autoloading, bolt-action, and modern sporting rifles; rimfire and centerfire autoloading pistols; single-action and double-action revolvers; and firearms accessories and replacement parts, as well as manufactures lever-action rifles under the Marlin name and trademark.