UBS Group Upgrades Buckle (NYSE:BKE) to Neutral

UBS Group upgraded shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $46.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $31.00.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

Buckle Trading Up 5.5 %

BKE opened at $47.61 on Tuesday. Buckle has a 12 month low of $33.05 and a 12 month high of $48.15. The company has a market cap of $2.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $43.21 and a 200 day moving average of $40.33.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 23rd. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter. Buckle had a return on equity of 46.17% and a net margin of 16.69%. The business had revenue of $282.39 million for the quarter.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In related news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total value of $661,600.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 80,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,315,029.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total transaction of $661,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 80,170 shares in the company, valued at $3,315,029.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.78, for a total value of $854,526.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,904,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,564,077.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 142,931 shares of company stock valued at $6,080,458 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Buckle by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,311,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $173,638,000 after acquiring an additional 24,051 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Buckle during the first quarter valued at $3,073,000. Caxton Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 1st quarter valued at $804,000. Sei Investments Co. bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 1st quarter valued at $856,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 125,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,631,000 after acquiring an additional 17,010 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.