Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE Shares Acquired by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc grew its holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 55.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,603 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,344 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc owned 0.13% of Buckle worth $3,505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 376.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,948,000 after purchasing an additional 228,260 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle during the third quarter worth about $1,454,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 172.3% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 134,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,330 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 113.7% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 27,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,481,000 after purchasing an additional 14,746 shares during the period. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth about $1,171,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Buckle from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Buckle from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Buckle currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Buckle news, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 29,281 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.12, for a total value of $1,438,282.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 45,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,253,723.84. The trade was a 38.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 48,860 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $2,462,055.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 76,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,867,634.06. The trade was a 38.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 126,200 shares of company stock valued at $6,517,932 over the last three months. 39.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Buckle Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $44.69 on Friday. Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.39 and a 12-month high of $61.69. The company has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 10.25 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $51.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.57.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 29th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.18. Buckle had a return on equity of 47.35% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company had revenue of $288.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $287.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. Buckle’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 32.11%.

Buckle Company Profile

Buckle, Inc is a retailer specializing in casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. The company is known for its denim-focused collections, offering both private-label lines and curated brand-name merchandise. Its product assortment includes jeans, tops, outerwear, shoes and a variety of accessories such as belts, jewelry and handbags, all aimed at blending contemporary style with everyday comfort.

Founded in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle began as a single clothing store and has since expanded into a nationwide chain.