Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) is one of the best gun stocks to buy in 2026. On March 10, Beretta Holding SA, currently the largest shareholder in Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR), issued a public clarification strongly rejecting what it called “blatantly false and misleading” statements made by Ruger’s board of directors. Beretta insisted that its goal has always been a collaborative minority investment, not an acquisition.
Beretta is a Luxembourg-based holding company of the Italian firearms dynasty that dates back to 1526. It quietly increased its stake in Ruger through open market purchases totaling about $60.3 million. The company then filed a Schedule 13D in late 2025 that disclosed the position, showing it owns a 9.95% stake in Ruger, and signaled a wide range of strategic intentions.
However, Ruger’s board responded by adopting a “poison pill” shareholder rights plan in October 2025 to prevent any entity from accumulating more shares. He subsequently demanded that Beretta sign unusually restrictive standstill agreements before substantive discussions could take place.
In its March 10 statement, Beretta said it had in fact proposed a strategic minority investment in market terms. For the company, Ruger’s characterization of this as a “takeover” was deliberately misleading. Beretta also accused Ruger’s board of directors of violating a confidentiality agreement by selectively leaking details of private negotiations in an attempt to publicly discredit Beretta.
Beretta also criticized Ruger’s recent board revamp, which added three new directors. The company described the update as cosmetic, noting that long-serving directors still hold key leadership positions and that a recently adopted retirement policy exempts existing incumbents from the same age and tenure limits imposed on incoming directors.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE:RGR) is an American firearms manufacturer that designs, produces and sells rifles, pistols and revolvers. Its products are distributed through independent wholesale distributors, federally licensed firearms retailers, and directly to consumers.
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