Islay Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA)

Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Rush Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUSHA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 26,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,335,000. Rush Enterprises accounts for 1.0% of Islay Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Rush Enterprises by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 174,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,115,000 after acquiring an additional 58,050 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Rush Enterprises by 29.0% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 86,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,549,000 after purchasing an additional 19,554 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Rush Enterprises by 49.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,193,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $252,863,000 after purchasing an additional 2,041,125 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Rush Enterprises by 49.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,915,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,359,000 after purchasing an additional 2,274,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Rush Enterprises by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 127,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,189,000 after buying an additional 40,620 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on RUSHA shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Rush Enterprises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 1st. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Rush Enterprises in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th.

Rush Enterprises Stock Performance

NASDAQ:RUSHA traded down $1.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $44.46. 173,912 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 373,985. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Rush Enterprises, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.37 and a 52-week high of $53.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $49.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.96.

Rush Enterprises (NASDAQ:RUSHA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter. Rush Enterprises had a return on equity of 17.16% and a net margin of 4.16%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Rush Enterprises, Inc. will post 2.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Rush Enterprises Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 8th. Rush Enterprises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Rush Enterprises

In other news, SVP Jody Pollard sold 11,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total transaction of $543,150.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $134,073.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 12.53% of the company’s stock.

Rush Enterprises Profile

Rush Enterprises, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retailer of commercial vehicles and related services in the United States and Canada. The company operates a network of commercial vehicle dealerships under the Rush Truck Centers name. Its Rush Truck Centers primarily sell commercial vehicles manufactured by Peterbilt, International, Hino, Ford, Isuzu, IC Bus, Blue Bird, and Dennis Eagle.