First Trust Advisors LP Grows Position in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWBI – Get Rating) by 32.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 771,610 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 190,447 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Smith & Wesson Brands were worth $8,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SWBI. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Smith & Wesson Brands by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,919,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,330,000 after purchasing an additional 197,900 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 558,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,795,000 after buying an additional 176,669 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 607.7% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 195,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,961,000 after buying an additional 168,077 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands by 47.3% during the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 460,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,966,000 after buying an additional 147,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of Smith & Wesson Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $592,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Smith & Wesson Brands Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of SWBI opened at $10.76 on Tuesday. Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.20 and a 52-week high of $16.97. The company has a market capitalization of $493.85 million, a PE ratio of 8.21 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 3.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Smith & Wesson Brands (NASDAQ:SWBI – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 9th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.02. Smith & Wesson Brands had a return on equity of 18.13% and a net margin of 11.67%. The business had revenue of $129.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $125.35 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 27.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Smith & Wesson Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 16th will be paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 15th. Smith & Wesson Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on SWBI. Craig Hallum decreased their target price on Smith & Wesson Brands from $17.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 7th. Lake Street Capital reduced their price objective on Smith & Wesson Brands from $22.00 to $13.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert L. Scott sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.87, for a total transaction of $35,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 83,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $736,857.51. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.63% of the company’s stock.

Smith & Wesson Brands Profile

(Get Rating)

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, design, and provision of firearms. Its portfolio includes handguns, long guns, handcuffs, suppressor, and other firearm-related products. The firm’s brands are Smith & Wesson, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech. The company was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson in 1852 and is headquartered in Springfield, MA.