Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

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

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

Buckle Price Performance

BKE stock opened at $39.15 on Tuesday. Buckle has a 1 year low of $34.87 and a 1 year high of $54.25. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.94 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.22 and a 200 day moving average of $45.92.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total transaction of $1,045,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at $7,872,468.66. This represents a 11.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 22,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,759.10. The trade was a 10.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 124,995 shares of company stock worth $6,103,061. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Buckle

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 52.0% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 38,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,939,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 60.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC grew its position in Buckle by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 7,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the period. 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.