Chase Investment Counsel Corp Buys New Shares in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Chase Investment Counsel Corp bought a new stake in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 23,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Buckle by 1,928.1% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 649 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Buckle by 81.6% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Buckle by 162.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Buckle during the third quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Buckle during the third quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKE has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Buckle from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.00.

Buckle Price Performance

Shares of BKE stock opened at $48.28 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.00 and a 200-day moving average of $53.48. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 1.16. Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $39.06 and a one year high of $61.69.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 13th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $399.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $396.45 million. Buckle had a net margin of 16.16% and a return on equity of 45.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 earnings per share.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 29,281 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.12, for a total transaction of $1,438,282.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 45,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,253,723.84. This represents a 38.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 48,860 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $2,462,055.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 76,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,867,634.06. The trade was a 38.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 126,200 shares of company stock valued at $6,517,932. 39.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Buckle 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.