StockNews.com Upgrades Buckle (NYSE:BKE) to Buy

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

Separately, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Buckle from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th.

Buckle Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE BKE opened at $45.28 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $43.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.20. Buckle has a 52-week low of $32.16 and a 52-week high of $48.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. Buckle’s payout ratio is currently 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,822,546 shares in the company, valued at $78,187,223.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,822,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,187,223.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,315,029.50. 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 quarter, insiders sold 142,931 shares of company stock valued at $6,080,458. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Buckle during the third quarter worth about $4,753,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,126,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 76,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 28.3% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 32,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 7,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in Buckle by 158.4% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 3,711 shares in the last quarter. 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.