First Trust Advisors LP Purchases 19,887 Shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 27.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 91,369 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,887 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Buckle were worth $4,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the period. Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Buckle during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Buckle by 51.6% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Buckle by 162.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Buckle during the 3rd quarter valued at $65,000. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BKE shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Buckle from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Buckle from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bill L. Fairfield sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.44, for a total transaction of $111,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 52,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,351,231.52. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 38.40% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Trading Down 1.4%

Buckle stock opened at $45.48 on Wednesday. Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.73 and a 12 month high of $61.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.96. The firm has a market cap of $2.34 billion, a PE ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 1.10.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 29th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $288.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $287.68 million. Buckle had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 47.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.70 earnings per share.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.11%.

Buckle Company 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.