Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. Cuts Stock Position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,400 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Buckle comprises about 1.6% of Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc.’s holdings in Buckle were worth $2,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BKE. Impala Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 43.3% in the 3rd quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 365,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,049,000 after acquiring an additional 110,273 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Buckle during the third quarter valued at approximately $691,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,142,000 after purchasing an additional 36,472 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,629,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,852,000 after purchasing an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Karen B. Rhoads sold 9,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total value of $490,485.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 214,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,053,415.07. This trade represents a 4.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total value of $1,045,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,872,468.66. The trade was a 11.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 93,589 shares of company stock worth $4,869,767. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Buckle Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $46.10 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $50.36 and its 200 day moving average is $45.74. The stock has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 1.14. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $34.87 and a 52-week high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $293.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $293.60 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. Buckle’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share.

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 given a dividend of $2.50 per share. This represents a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BKE. StockNews.com raised shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

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.