Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Separately, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Buckle from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th.

Buckle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BKE opened at $38.82 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $37.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.16. The company has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.16 and a beta of 1.14. Buckle has a 1 year low of $30.31 and a 1 year high of $48.15.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 24th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.05). Buckle had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 17.07%. The firm had revenue of $262.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $262.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 12th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 12th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.02%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider H. Nelson Dennis 122,752 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider H. Nelson Dennis 122,752 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.26, for a total transaction of $100,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,623 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $991,321.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BKE. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Buckle by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Buckle in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Buckle by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $839,000 after buying an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Buckle by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,025 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Buckle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

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.