Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Grows Stake in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 20.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 223,520 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,452 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $10,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 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 purchasing an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Buckle by 1,652.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 771 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Buckle by 64.9% in the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Buckle by 12.5% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 62.4% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Buckle Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of BKE stock opened at $54.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $56.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60 and a beta of 1.12. Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.12 and a 52-week high of $61.69.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John P. Peetz sold 1,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.74, for a total value of $83,610.00. Following the sale, the director owned 23,623 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,316,746.02. The trade was a 5.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.17, for a total transaction of $361,020.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 89,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,389,426.90. This trade represents a 6.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 47,500 shares of company stock worth $2,821,630 over the last quarter. Insiders own 39.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKE has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Buckle from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Buckle in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.00.

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.