Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 14,567 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 8.6% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 155,636 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,567 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Buckle were worth $6,843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 0.9% in the third quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 37,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 60.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Buckle by 0.7% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 59,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,636,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Buckle by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 7,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Buckle Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $50.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a PE ratio of 12.90 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.70 and a 200 day moving average of $43.56. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.87 and a 12 month high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.01). Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The business had revenue of $293.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $293.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $879,479.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,842,999 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,248,957. This represents a 1.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 22,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,759.10. The trade was a 10.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 134,265 shares of company stock valued at $6,414,313 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BKE. StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 26th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

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.