Lazard Asset Management LLC Raises Holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 1,066.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 297,594 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 272,088 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $14,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 1,928.1% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 649 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 51.6% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Buckle by 162.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Buckle during the 3rd quarter worth about $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BKE shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Buckle from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.00.

Buckle Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $44.91 on Thursday. Buckle, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.73 and a fifty-two week high of $61.69. The business’s fifty day moving average is $44.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.26. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 32.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bill L. Fairfield sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.44, for a total transaction of $111,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 52,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,351,231.52. The trade was a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 38.40% of the company’s stock.

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.