Voya Investment Management LLC Trims Holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Voya Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 59.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,565 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,872 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Buckle by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,852,000 after buying an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,286,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,352,000 after acquiring an additional 69,258 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Buckle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Buckle by 43.0% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 7,570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Buckle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $380,000. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Buckle Price Performance

NYSE:BKE opened at $36.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.94. The Buckle, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.12 and a 1 year high of $54.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.66.

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. Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The company had revenue of $379.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $378.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.59 earnings per share. Buckle’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 2,105 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.36, for a total value of $76,537.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,728,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,839,170. The trade was a 0.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 76,011 shares of company stock valued at $3,047,788 over the last ninety days. 39.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.