Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

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

Buckle Stock Down 0.1 %

BKE opened at $47.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 1.14. Buckle has a 52 week low of $34.87 and a 52 week high of $49.78. The business’s 50 day moving average is $43.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.74.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 23rd. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Buckle had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 46.17%. The company had revenue of $282.39 million for the quarter.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 11th. Buckle’s payout ratio is 34.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total transaction of $661,600.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 80,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,315,029.50. The trade was a 16.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 24,666 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.44, for a total value of $1,046,825.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,924,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,688,978.84. The trade was a 1.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 142,931 shares of company stock valued at $6,080,458 in the last three months. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Buckle by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in 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. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Buckle in the first quarter worth $70,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 119.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle during the third quarter valued at $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.