Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 171,114 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,150 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.34% of Buckle worth $6,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Buckle by 60,000.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 601 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Gladius Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 408.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 981 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 527.4% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 985 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 321.2% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on BKE. UBS Group cut their price objective on Buckle from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th.

Buckle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BKE traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $36.35. 31,162 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 409,069. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.96. The firm has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.54 and a beta of 1.15. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $30.31 and a 52-week high of $48.15.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 24th. The company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $262.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $262.50 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 17.07%. The business’s revenue was down 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 26th. Investors of record on Friday, July 12th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 12th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.02%.

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.