Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. Reports First Quarter Diluted Earnings of 74¢ Per Share and Declares Dividend Of 29¢ Per Share

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) announced today that for the first quarter of 2019 the Company reported net sales of $114.0 million and diluted earnings of 74¢ per share, compared with net sales of $131.2 million and diluted earnings of 81¢ per share in the first quarter of 2018.

The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of 29¢ per share for the first quarter for stockholders of record as of May 17, 2019, payable on May 31, 2019. This dividend varies every quarter because the Company pays a percentage of earnings rather than a fixed amount per share. This dividend is approximately 40% of net income.

Chief Executive Officer Christopher J. Killoy made the following observations related to the Company's 2019 first quarter performance:

• In the first quarter of 2019, net sales and earnings per share decreased 13% and 9%, respectively, from the first quarter of 2018 due to a decline in overall market demand, as evidenced by the 8% decrease in National Instant Criminal Background Check System ("NICS") background checks (as adjusted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation).
• Improved price realization in the first quarter of 2019 drove profitability during the quarter.
• Sales of new products, including the Pistol Caliber Carbine, the EC9s pistol, the Security-9 pistol, and the Precision Rimfire Rifle, represented $20.9 million or 20% of firearm sales in the first quarter of 2019. New product sales include only major new products that were introduced in the past two years.
• During the first quarter of 2019, the Company's finished goods inventory increased by 52,000 units and distributor inventories of the Company's products decreased by 25,000 units. In the aggregate, total Company and distributor inventories increased 27,000 units during the quarter.
• Cash used by operations during the first quarter of 2019 was $10.3 million. At March 30, 2019, our cash and short-term investments totaled $135 million. Our current ratio is 4.1 to 1 and we have no debt.
• In the first quarter of 2019, capital expenditures totaled $2.7 million. We expect our 2019 capital expenditures to total approximately $25 million, most of which relate to new product introductions.
• In the first quarter of 2019, the Company returned $4.9 million to its shareholders through the payment of dividends.
• At March 30, 2019, stockholders' equity was $273.9 million, which equates to a book value of $15.69 per share, of which $7.73 per share is cash and short-term investments.

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

Tomorrow, May 8, 2019, Sturm, Ruger will host a webcast of its Annual Meeting of Stockholders at 9:00 a.m. ET and plans to discuss the first quarter operating results. Interested parties can access the webcast at Ruger.com/corporate or by dialing 855-871-7398, participant code 6877734.

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

About Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of rugged, reliable firearms for the commercial sporting market. As a full-line manufacturer of American-made firearms, Ruger offers consumers over 700 variations of more than 40 product lines. For 70 years, Ruger has been a model of corporate and community responsibility. Our motto, "Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens®," echoes our commitment to these principles as we work hard to deliver quality and innovative firearms.

The Company may, from time to time, make forward-looking statements and projections concerning future expectations. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to certain qualifying risks and uncertainties, such as market demand, sales levels of firearms, anticipated castings sales and earnings, the need for external financing for operations or capital expenditures, the results of pending litigation against the Company, the impact of future firearms control and environmental legislation, and accounting estimates, any one or more of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date such forward-looking statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent unanticipated events.

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. "Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens"