Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. Makes New Investment in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $110,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of BKE. State Street Corp raised its stake in Buckle by 5.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,338,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,849,000 after purchasing an additional 72,532 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Buckle by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,216,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,509,000 after buying an additional 48,436 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Buckle by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,142,000 after buying an additional 36,472 shares in the last quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Buckle by 3.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,852,000 after acquiring an additional 5,185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

BKE stock opened at $44.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.19 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $49.87 and its 200 day moving average is $45.88. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52 week low of $34.87 and a 52 week high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $293.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $293.60 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In other Buckle news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,143,759.10. The trade was a 10.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $1,050,670.61. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,760,187 shares in the company, valued at $90,420,806.19. This represents a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 93,589 shares of company stock worth $4,869,767. Insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

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.