American Century Companies Inc. Buys 87,690 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 14.0% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 716,090 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 87,690 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Buckle were worth $26,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Buckle in the 4th quarter worth about $9,828,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 768,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,504,000 after purchasing an additional 178,794 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Buckle in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,073,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Buckle by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,287,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,756,000 after buying an additional 55,192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Buckle by 67.9% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 110,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,465,000 after buying an additional 44,850 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Price Performance

Buckle stock opened at $44.05 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $41.18 and its 200 day moving average is $38.87. The Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $30.31 and a one year high of $48.15. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 1.13.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $282.39 million for the quarter.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 11th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on BKE. StockNews.com cut shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Buckle from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total value of $661,600.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 80,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,315,029.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Buckle news, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total value of $661,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 80,170 shares in the company, valued at $3,315,029.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.26, for a total value of $100,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,623 shares in the company, valued at $991,321.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 100,346 shares of company stock worth $4,126,478. Company insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Buckle 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.