Ceera Investments LLC Trims Holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Ceera Investments LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,065 shares during the quarter. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Amundi lifted its position in Buckle by 4,016.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 75,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,787,000 after buying an additional 73,468 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Buckle by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Buckle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $623,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Buckle by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,286,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,352,000 after buying an additional 69,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Buckle by 4,340.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $226,000 after buying an additional 4,340 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $38.33 on Friday. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52 week low of $34.87 and a 52 week high of $54.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.17.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were paid a $2.50 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,143,759.10. This represents a 10.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total value of $1,045,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,872,468.66. The trade was a 11.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 119,882 shares of company stock valued at $5,621,453. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BKE shares. UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.