The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Stake Lessened by Public Sector Pension Investment Board

Public Sector Pension Investment Board decreased its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,443 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,900 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Buckle were worth $2,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 119.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Buckle during the third quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Buckle by 38.7% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP grew its position in Buckle by 217.4% in the second quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 2,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 2,024 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Price Performance

BKE stock opened at $53.40 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.47. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.87 and a 52-week high of $54.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 11th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other Buckle news, Director Karen B. Rhoads sold 9,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $490,485.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 214,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,053,415.07. This trade represents a 4.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.18, for a total transaction of $1,087,690.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,781,640 shares in the company, valued at $94,747,615.20. This trade represents a 1.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 148,218 shares of company stock valued at $6,611,809 in the last 90 days. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research report 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.