https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/gun-sales-cause-ammo-fly-off-shelvesBy Jonathan Garber FOXBusiness
Ammunition sales continue to shoot up
Vista Outdoor stock is up after a surge in ammunition sales. FOX Business’ Lauren Simonetti with more.
More and more Americans are buying firearms for the first time this year. Loading them is a different story.
“Some of the frustration we’ve frankly heard from some of the new users is that they bought a firearm, they can’t find any ammunition, because it’s in short supply,” Vista Outdoor Inc. CEO Christopher Metz said on the company’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday.
The spike in gun sales follows a wave of civil unrest after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in police custody, as well as an increase in outdoor recreation amid COVID-19 lockdowns. Firearms enthusiasts are also prepping for the possibility of stricter regulations should former Vice President Joe Biden ride a blue wave to an election victory in November.
Gun sales surged 135% year-over-year in July to about 2 million and have already matched all of last year, according to a report released earlier this week by research consultancy Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting. Sales were up 145% in June, 80% in May and 71% in April.
THIS YEAR'S GUN SALES HAVE ALREADY OUTPACED 2019'S TOTAL
Ammo sales, however, typically take “multiple months to catch up” to gun sales, according to Metz, which could lead to even tighter supplies in the months ahead.
Sales of ammunition at Vista Outdoor, based in Anoka, Minnesota, rose 22 percent year-over-year during the most recent quarter, which ended in June. The maker of outdoor recreation equipment kept that business after selling its Savage Arms and Stevens firearms brands in 2019.
Ticker Security Last Change Change %
VSTO VISTA OUTDOOR INC 21.00 +2.75 +15.10%