The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,100,002 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,100 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 2.17% of Buckle worth $55,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 442.8% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 190,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,677,000 after purchasing an additional 155,366 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Buckle by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 937,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,636,000 after buying an additional 100,173 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,909,000. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 4,016.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 75,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,787,000 after purchasing an additional 73,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in Buckle by 5.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,338,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,849,000 after acquiring an additional 72,532 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BKE. UBS Group cut their price objective on Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com cut Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.86, for a total value of $835,709.58. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,678,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $68,578,402.50. This represents a 1.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 71,816 shares of company stock worth $2,898,120. Company insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

Shares of BKE opened at $36.43 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.25 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.85. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.12 and a 52-week high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $379.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $378.97 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The business’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.59 EPS.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is 36.08%.

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.