Short Interest in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Increases By 5.9%

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,410,000 shares, an increase of 5.9% from the May 15th total of 3,220,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 362,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 9.4 days. Currently, 11.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Buckle

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Buckle by 60,000.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Buckle during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Gladius Capital Management LP grew its position in Buckle by 408.3% during the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 981 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 788 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Buckle by 527.4% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 828 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 321.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $36.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.49 and a beta of 1.18. Buckle has a 52-week low of $30.31 and a 52-week high of $48.15. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.43.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 24th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $262.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $262.50 million. Buckle had a net margin of 17.07% and a return on equity of 48.21%. Buckle’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 12th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 12th. Buckle’s payout ratio is 33.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on BKE. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Buckle from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. StockNews.com cut Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 27th.

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.