Bellwether Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 849 The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Buckle by 442.8% during the 4th 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. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Buckle by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,663,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,518,000 after purchasing an additional 137,972 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Buckle by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 937,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,636,000 after purchasing an additional 100,173 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter worth $4,909,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 4,016.8% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 75,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,787,000 after acquiring an additional 73,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

BKE stock opened at $34.87 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.18 and a 200-day moving average of $44.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 0.91. The Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $33.12 and a one year high of $54.25.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.01%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.08%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total value of $888,069.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,698,828 shares in the company, valued at $73,763,111.76. This trade represents a 1.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 76,011 shares of company stock worth $3,047,788 in the last 90 days. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.