Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2011 Earnings of 57¢ Per Share and Declares Dividend of 14.2¢ Per Share

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) announced today that for the second quarter 2011, the Company reported net sales of $79.6 million and earnings of 57¢ per share, compared with net sales of $64.4 million and earnings of 43¢ per share in 2010.

For the six months ended July 2, 2011, net sales were $155.1 million and earnings were $1.00 per share. For the corresponding period in 2010, net sales were $132.7 million and earnings were 86¢ per share.

The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors voted to declare a quarterly dividend of 14.2¢ per share on the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock. This cash dividend will be paid on August 26, 2011 to stockholders of record as of August 12, 2011.

Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer made the following comments related to the Company's results:

• The Company launched the new SR1911 pistol, the new Single-Ten revolver, and the new SR40c pistol in the second quarter of 2011. New product introductions are a strong driver of demand and represented $26.7 million or 34% of sales in the second quarter of 2011.
• Demand for our products remained strong in the second quarter of 2011. The estimated sell-through of the Company's products from the independent distributors to retailers in the second quarter of 2011 increased by approximately 24% from the second quarter of 2010. National Instant Criminal Background Check System ("NICS") background checks (as adjusted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation) increased 13% during this period.
• The incoming order rate in the second quarter of 2011 increased 90% from the second quarter of 2010.
• Cash provided by operating activities was $32.4 million for the six months ended July 2, 2011. At July 2, 2011, our cash and equivalents and short-term investments totaled $76.5 million. Our current ratio is 3.2 to 1 and we have no debt.
• During the first half of 2011, capital expenditures totaled $7.7 million, much of it related to tooling and equipment for new products. We expect to invest approximately $15 million for capital expenditures during 2011.
• At July 2, 2011, stockholders' equity was $128.7 million, which equates to a book value of $6.81 per share, of which $4.05 per share was cash and equivalents and short-term investments.
• During the first half of 2011, we returned $4.8 million to our shareholders through:
  1. The payment of $2.8 million of dividends, and
  2. The repurchase of 133,400 shares of our common stock in the open market at an average price of $14.94 per share, for a total of $2.0 million.
• As of the end of the second quarter of 2011, $8.0 million remains available for future stock repurchases.
• In May, the Company announced the Ruger Million Gun Challenge to benefit the National Rifle Association. Ruger will donate $1 to the NRA for every Ruger firearm sold from April 2011 through March 2012, with the goal of selling one million Ruger firearms and donating $1 million to the NRA. Ruger made its first Million Gun Challenge donation of $279,600 in July.

Today, the Company filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2011. The financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are attached to this press release - View Release.

The Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and the Ruger website at www.ruger.com/corporate. Investors are urged to read the complete Form 10-Q to ensure that they have adequate information to make informed investment judgments.