UBS Group AG Purchases 120,215 Shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

UBS Group AG increased its position in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 32.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 489,306 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 120,215 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Buckle were worth $26,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in Buckle by 3,695.1% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 242,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,226,000 after purchasing an additional 236,120 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Buckle by 376.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,948,000 after purchasing an additional 228,260 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $10,393,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in Buckle by 322.4% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 166,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,556,000 after purchasing an additional 127,177 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Buckle by 119.3% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 207,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,390,000 after purchasing an additional 112,649 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on BKE shares. Wall Street Zen cut Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings raised Buckle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Buckle from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Buckle Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE BKE opened at $52.45 on Monday. Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $36.57 and a 12 month high of $61.69. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $52.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.72.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its earnings results on Friday, March 13th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.08. Buckle had a return on equity of 45.18% and a net margin of 16.16%.The firm had revenue of $399.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $396.45 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 29,281 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.12, for a total transaction of $1,438,282.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 45,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,253,723.84. This represents a 38.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 48,860 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $2,462,055.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 76,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,867,634.06. The trade was a 38.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 126,200 shares of company stock worth $6,517,932. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Profile

Buckle, Inc is a retailer specializing in casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. The company is known for its denim-focused collections, offering both private-label lines and curated brand-name merchandise. Its product assortment includes jeans, tops, outerwear, shoes and a variety of accessories such as belts, jewelry and handbags, all aimed at blending contemporary style with everyday comfort.

Founded in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle began as a single clothing store and has since expanded into a nationwide chain.