Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $33.95 and last traded at $34.04, with a volume of 312559 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $38.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BKE shares. UBS Group decreased 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 downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Buckle Stock Up 3.1 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.16. The company has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of 9.11 and a beta of 0.91.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released 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 firm had revenue of $379.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $378.97 million. Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.59 EPS.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.90%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.08%.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.57, for a total transaction of $1,054,761.21. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,739,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $89,718,082.38. The trade was a 1.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 92,269 shares of company stock valued at $3,952,882. 39.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Caption Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 268.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its position in Buckle by 60.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Company 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.