Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Raised to Neutral at UBS Group

UBS Group upgraded shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $46.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $31.00.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Buckle Stock Performance

Buckle stock opened at $47.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.52. Buckle has a one year low of $34.63 and a one year high of $49.78.

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

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 11th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.15%.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In other news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total transaction of $661,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 80,170 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,315,029.50. This represents a 16.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 24,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.44, for a total value of $1,046,825.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,924,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,688,978.84. This represents a 1.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 142,931 shares of company stock valued at $6,080,458. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Buckle

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Impala Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Buckle by 43.3% during the 3rd quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 365,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,049,000 after acquiring an additional 110,273 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,753,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,100,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,589,000 after buying an additional 90,190 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 716,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,452,000 after acquiring an additional 87,690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Buckle in the first quarter worth $3,073,000. 53.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.