Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Separately, UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Buckle Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $40.21 on Tuesday. Buckle has a 52-week low of $34.87 and a 52-week high of $54.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $47.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.01. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.14.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total value of $129,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,123 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,759.10. This represents 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 the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.18, for a total value of $1,087,690.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,781,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,747,615.20. The trade was a 1.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 104,542 shares of company stock worth $5,267,351 in the last quarter. 39.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Novem Group purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Buckle by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 65,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,304,000 after acquiring an additional 12,722 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Buckle by 138.8% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 124,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,351,000 after acquiring an additional 72,652 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,512,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Buckle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $111,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

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.