Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Stock: Insider Scott Werth Sells 2,500 Shares

Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) SVP Scott Werth sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.75, for a total transaction of $116,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 46,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,195,380. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Buckle Price Performance

Buckle stock traded up $1.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $47.50. The company had a trading volume of 311,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 474,400. The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 1.14. Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $39.44 and a one year high of $58.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $43.05 and a 200 day moving average of $45.82.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 21st. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.06. Buckle had a return on equity of 46.91% and a net margin of 16.62%. The company had revenue of $319.82 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $319.80 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Buckle during the second quarter worth $5,917,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,234,000. Man Group plc bought a new position in shares of Buckle in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,334,000. Stevens Capital Partners bought a new position in shares of Buckle in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,593,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new position in shares of Buckle in the 2nd quarter valued at $992,000. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Buckle in a report on Monday, August 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Buckle from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating. According to data from MarketBeat, Buckle currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.00.

About Buckle

Buckle, Inc is a specialty retailer of casual apparel, footwear and accessories for fashion-conscious young men and women. The company offers a broad selection of denim, tops, bottoms, outerwear, dresses, activewear, shoes, jewelry and other accessories from national brands and its own private-label collections, including BKE and Buckle Black.

The company sells merchandise through its network of retail stores across the United States and through its e-commerce platform. Buckle stores generally emphasize personalized customer service, denim fittings and outfit coordination, while its online channel provides access to apparel and accessories for customers outside its store markets.

Buckle traces its origins to 1948, when it began as a clothing store in Kearney, Nebraska.