AlphaQuest LLC Has $1.42 Million Stock Holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,287 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,345 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $1,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BKE. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Buckle by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 16,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 24,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 2,727 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 165,324 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,335,000 after purchasing an additional 3,688 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,666,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 645,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,753,000 after purchasing an additional 58,785 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKE has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Buckle from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Buckle in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Buckle currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.00.

Buckle Stock Down 0.3%

Buckle stock opened at $55.73 on Friday. Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.12 and a 12-month high of $61.69. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $57.37 and its 200 day moving average is $48.19. The company has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 13.93 and a beta of 1.06.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 22nd. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.06. Buckle had a net margin of 16.12% and a return on equity of 43.97%. The company had revenue of $305.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.61 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Buckle’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other Buckle news, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.36, for a total transaction of $1,187,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,925,013.44. This represents a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.74, for a total transaction of $83,610.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,316,746.02. The trade was a 5.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 47,500 shares of company stock worth $2,821,630. Corporate insiders own 39.00% of the company’s stock.

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.