Insider Selling: Buckle (NYSE:BKE) SVP Sells $1,438,282.72 in Stock

Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 29,281 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.12, for a total value of $1,438,282.72. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 45,882 shares in the company, valued at $2,253,723.84. This trade represents a 38.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Michelle Hoffman also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 19th, Michelle Hoffman sold 719 shares of Buckle stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $35,950.00.

Buckle Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $50.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.26 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $51.46 and a 200 day moving average of $54.69. Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.12 and a 12 month high of $61.69.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 13th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $399.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.45 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 45.18% and a net margin of 16.16%.The company’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.53 EPS.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on BKE. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Buckle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Buckle from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Buckle by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,970,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,118,000 after buying an additional 89,441 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Buckle by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,370,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,207,000 after acquiring an additional 5,784 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Buckle by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,321,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,604,000 after acquiring an additional 54,826 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,311,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,084,000 after acquiring an additional 8,311 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,244,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,475,000 after acquiring an additional 263,338 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

About Buckle

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.