Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Separately, UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Buckle Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE BKE opened at $51.26 on Thursday. Buckle has a 12-month low of $34.87 and a 12-month high of $54.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $48.25 and a 200 day moving average of $43.19.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.01). Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The company had revenue of $293.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $293.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 22,123 shares in the company, valued at $1,143,759.10. This trade represents a 10.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total value of $879,479.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,842,999 shares in the company, valued at $79,248,957. This represents a 1.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 134,265 shares of company stock worth $6,414,313. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Buckle

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Buckle by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 60.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth about $86,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 38.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in Buckle by 85.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.