The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) EVP Sells $1,045,800.00 in Stock

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total value of $1,045,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at $7,872,468.66. This trade represents a 11.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Buckle Stock Up 1.4 %

Buckle stock opened at $52.18 on Friday. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.87 and a 52-week high of $54.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50 day moving average is $46.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.43.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $293.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $293.60 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 EPS.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $2.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BKE shares. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BKE. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Buckle by 52.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Buckle by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 37,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Buckle by 60.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 59,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,636,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 14,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

About Buckle

The Buckle, Inc operates as a retailer of casual apparel, footwear, and accessories for young men and women in the United States. It markets a selection of brand name casual apparel, including denims, other casual bottoms, tops, sportswear, outerwear, accessories, and footwear, as well as private label merchandise primarily comprising BKE, Buckle Black, Salvage, Red by BKE, Daytrip, Gimmicks, Gilded Intent, FITZ + EDDI, Willow & Root, Outpost Makers, Departwest, Sterling & Stitch, Reclaim, BKE Vintage, Nova Industries, J.B.