Ceera Investments LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Ceera Investments LLC cut its holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,065 shares during the quarter. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 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 buying an additional 72,532 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,286,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,352,000 after purchasing an additional 69,258 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,142,000 after purchasing an additional 36,472 shares during the last quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 43.3% in the third quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 365,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,049,000 after purchasing an additional 110,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 161,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,213,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Buckle Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of BKE opened at $38.33 on Friday. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.87 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $45.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.17.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKE has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other 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 value of $129,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,123 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,759.10. The trade was a 10.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.51, for a total value of $606,083.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,663,035 shares in the company, valued at $65,706,512.85. This represents a 0.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 119,882 shares of company stock valued at $5,621,453. Company insiders own 39.80% 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.