Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Upgraded by UBS Group to Neutral Rating

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

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

Buckle Trading Up 5.5 %

Shares of 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $43.21 and its 200-day moving average is $40.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 11th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.94%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.35, for a total value of $907,090.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,883,905 shares in the company, valued at $83,551,186.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total transaction of $661,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 80,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,315,029.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.35, for a total transaction of $907,090.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,883,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,551,186.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 142,931 shares of company stock worth $6,080,458. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Buckle

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

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.