Everence Capital Management Inc. Takes Position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $256,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 192.6% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 111,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,287,000 after purchasing an additional 73,232 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,891,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Buckle by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,148,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,591,000 after acquiring an additional 288,056 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Buckle by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 150,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,022,000 after acquiring an additional 16,016 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund bought a new position in Buckle in the 3rd quarter valued at about $597,000. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of Buckle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $37.00 to $34.00 in a report on Friday, January 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday.

Buckle Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $36.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $38.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.66. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $48.15. The firm has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a PE ratio of 8.32 and a beta of 1.23.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its earnings results on Friday, March 15th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.15. Buckle had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 50.88%. The firm had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 31.75%.

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, Reclaim, BKE Vintage, Nova Industries, J.B.