Buckle (NYSE:BKE) EVP Sells $1,637,100.00 in Stock

Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) EVP Kari Smith sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total transaction of $1,637,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,814 shares in the company, valued at $4,573,729.98. This trade represents a 26.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Buckle Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE BKE traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.64. The company had a trading volume of 41,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 479,216. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.87. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.96 and a beta of 1.18. Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.35 and a 52-week high of $61.69.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 13th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.08. Buckle had a net margin of 16.16% and a return on equity of 45.18%. The company had revenue of $399.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.45 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. Buckle’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.82%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Buckle

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKE. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Buckle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,000. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Buckle by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 7,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,805 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 340,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,185,000 after purchasing an additional 8,249 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 20,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,096,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Global Investments raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 23,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 6,335 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Buckle from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Buckle Company Profile

Buckle, Inc is a retailer specializing in casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. The company is known for its denim-focused collections, offering both private-label lines and curated brand-name merchandise. Its product assortment includes jeans, tops, outerwear, shoes and a variety of accessories such as belts, jewelry and handbags, all aimed at blending contemporary style with everyday comfort.

Founded in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle began as a single clothing store and has since expanded into a nationwide chain.