Shares of Smith & Wesson’s parent company, American Outdoor Brands, jumped 15 percent on Friday after the gun maker beat expectations for its second fiscal quarter and raised guidance through January 2019.

A 20 percent surge in the sale of long guns — a category that includes the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle — powered the company to an 82 percent earnings gain on a 9 percent revenue increase.

American Outdoor attributed the strong sales of long guns to inventory increases by retail outlets and to consumer promotions that bundle the firearms with shooting, hunting and outdoor accessories.

Sales of handguns, mostly revolvers and pistols, rose 5 percent in the quarter, which ended on Oct. 31.

The performance of both gun segments defied consumer-demand trends recorded by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Second-quarter NICS checks — considered the best gauge for the demand of firearms — fell 11 percent for long guns and 9 percent for handguns, American Outdoor CEO James Debney said in an after-market earnings call on Thursday.

The company’s results also countered a disappointing start to the holiday shopping season.

Black Friday did not improve on last year’s record-setting day for domestic gun sales — a setback industry observers blamed on promotions that began well in advance of the post-Thanksgiving shopping day.

But Debney said NICS did record the fourth-highest number of background checks on Black Friday, which bodes well for end-of-year purchases.

“We are hearing from distributors as well as large and small retailers that our promotions are a strong match with the current market environment,” the CEO said.

Debney singled out the company’s outdoor products segment as “strategically important,” noting it already accounts for a third of American Outdoor’s sales despite having been launched just four years ago.

Total revenue of $161.7 million beat analyst expectations of $154.1 million, while earnings per share of 20 cents crushed Wall Street estimates of 14 cents.

For its third fiscal quarter, American Outdoor raised its revenue guidance to a range between $155 million and $165 million and projected EPS would come in between 9 cents and 13 cents.

The improved outlook helped boost American Outdoor stock to $14.09 per share, pushing it into positive territory with a year-to-date gain of 10 percent.