Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

BKE has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Buckle in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Buckle in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Buckle presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $55.00.

Buckle Stock Performance

NYSE BKE opened at $56.48 on Friday. Buckle has a 52-week low of $33.12 and a 52-week high of $61.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $56.20 and a 200-day moving average of $52.02. The company has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.12.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 21st. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.02. Buckle had a return on equity of 43.97% and a net margin of 16.12%.The business had revenue of $320.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $317.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Buckle news, Director James E. Shada sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.49, for a total value of $1,189,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 55,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,292,890.48. This trade represents a 26.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.36, for a total transaction of $1,187,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 150,354 shares in the company, valued at $8,925,013.44. The trade was a 11.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 46,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,738,020 over the last three months. 39.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BKE. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Buckle by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,360,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,147,000 after purchasing an additional 74,614 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 1.1% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,303,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,471,000 after buying an additional 13,556 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 7.8% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,209,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,971,000 after acquiring an additional 87,920 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 5.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 900,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,861,000 after acquiring an additional 47,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 3,732.0% in the first quarter. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC now owns 671,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,722,000 after acquiring an additional 653,734 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.