Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $38.69 and traded as high as $40.09. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. shares last traded at $39.50, with a volume of 160,752 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $662.87 million, a P/E ratio of 22.34 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.26 and a 200 day moving average of $38.69.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 5.70%. The firm had revenue of $145.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $137.77 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current year.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. This is a positive change from Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.24%.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 71.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 411,918 shares of the company's stock worth $14,570,000 after purchasing an additional 172,055 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 381,193 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,466 shares in the last quarter. Rule One Partners LLC bought a new position in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at $9,142,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 202,841 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,174,000 after acquiring an additional 22,736 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 184,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,537,000 after acquiring an additional 22,670 shares in the last quarter. 64.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 under 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.