Geode Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 799,078 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 36,472 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 1.57% of Buckle worth $35,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $1,050,670.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,760,187 shares in the company, valued at $90,420,806.19. This trade represents a 1.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total transaction of $1,045,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,872,468.66. This represents a 11.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 134,265 shares of company stock worth $6,414,313 over the last quarter. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Buckle Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE BKE opened at $51.26 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.19. The firm has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 1.14. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52 week low of $34.87 and a 52 week high of $54.25.

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

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on BKE shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Buckle 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.