Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday.

Separately, UBS Group raised shares of Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Buckle Price Performance

NYSE:BKE opened at $47.79 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.63. Buckle has a 1 year low of $34.87 and a 1 year high of $49.78.

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

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. Buckle’s payout ratio is 34.15%.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.90, for a total transaction of $877,433.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,822,546 shares in the company, valued at $78,187,223.40. This trade represents a 1.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 16.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, 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 institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 52.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 60.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 1st quarter worth approximately $70,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 119.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 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.