John P. Peetz Sells 2,500 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Stock

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 22,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,759.10. This trade represents a 10.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Buckle Stock Up 1.4 %

Buckle stock opened at $52.18 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 1.14. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.87 and a 52-week high of $54.25.

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

Buckle Cuts Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Buckle by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Buckle by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 37,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 60.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 0.7% in the third 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 during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Buckle by 2.8% during the second 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BKE shares. StockNews.com cut Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Buckle Company Profile

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.