Dennis H. Nelson Sells 20,453 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Stock

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total transaction of $888,069.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,698,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,763,111.76. This trade represents a 1.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Buckle Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:BKE opened at $43.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $49.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.88. The Buckle, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.87 and a twelve month high of $54.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 1.14.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $293.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BKE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKE. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 268.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 60.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.