Insider Selling: The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) CEO Sells 20,453 Shares of Stock

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $1,050,670.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,760,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,420,806.19. This represents a 1.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Buckle Price Performance

BKE traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $50.43. 44,035 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 404,001. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.87 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.72. The stock has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Buckle

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Buckle by 52.0% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 37,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,665,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Buckle by 60.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Buckle by 0.7% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 59,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,636,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Buckle by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 14,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.