Offering over 400 variations of more than 30 product lines, Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. (Ruger) has bounced back this year from sagging 2014 earnings.
Ruger, a publicly held corporation traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RGR, has announced that for the first quarter of 2015 its net sales were $137.0 million. Its May 4 Securities and Exchange Commission Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q gave the Southport, Connecticut-based manufacturer “fully diluted” earnings of 81 cents per share, which represents a quarterly increase of $14.4 million over fourth quarter 2014 net sales when Ruger shareholders experienced a loss of 77 cents per share.
During a shareholder's call announcing the results, Chief Executive Officer Michael Fifer made several observations about Ruger’s 2015 first quarter performance:
- Demand for Ruger firearms increased due to successful sales promotions coupled with a reduction in “aggressive price discounting by many of our competitors.”
- Net sales and estimated sell-through of Ruger products from independent distributors to retailers increased 12 percent and 15 percent respectively, even though NICS checks (as adjusted by the NSSF) decreased 15 percent during the same period.
- Independent distributor inventory of Ruger products decreased by 64,700 units and finished goods inventory decreased by 53,100 units.
- First quarter earnings increased 53 percent from the 2014 fourth quarter (excluding expenses related to the termination and settlement of defined benefit pension plans in 2014).
- New products, including the AR-556 MSR and the LC9s pistol, represented 17 percent ($22.8 million) of firearm sales.
