Short Interest in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Increases By 6.9%

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,100,000 shares, an increase of 6.9% from the September 30th total of 2,900,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 393,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.9 days. Approximately 10.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Buckle Stock Performance

BKE traded down $0.44 on Friday, reaching $42.12. The company had a trading volume of 169,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 401,735. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.84. The company has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.37 and a beta of 1.13. Buckle has a 52-week low of $32.16 and a 52-week high of $48.15.

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 net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 46.17%. The business had revenue of $282.39 million for the quarter.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 11th. Buckle’s payout ratio is currently 34.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on BKE shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Buckle from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total value of $661,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 80,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,315,029.50. This represents a 0.00 % 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 link. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.80, for a total transaction of $579,852.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,950,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,724,250.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 138,718 shares of company stock worth $5,819,174. Insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Buckle by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,311,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,638,000 after acquiring an additional 24,051 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 4.5% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,100,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,589,000 after purchasing an additional 90,190 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 2.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,341,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,566,000 after purchasing an additional 29,349 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 2.2% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 736,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,193,000 after purchasing an additional 16,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 14.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 716,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,452,000 after purchasing an additional 87,690 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.