Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 369 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 369 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Buckle were worth $1,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BKE. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Buckle by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,338,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,849,000 after acquiring an additional 72,532 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Buckle by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,286,212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,352,000 after purchasing an additional 69,258 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Buckle by 4.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,142,000 after purchasing an additional 36,472 shares during the period. Impala Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Buckle by 43.3% in the third quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 365,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,049,000 after purchasing an additional 110,273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in Buckle by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 219,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,257,000 after buying an additional 34,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $38.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a PE ratio of 9.74 and a beta of 1.17. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52 week low of $34.67 and a 52 week high of $54.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $41.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.38.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.09. Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The business had revenue of $379.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $378.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.59 EPS. Buckle’s revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 36.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.32, for a total transaction of $557,148.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,647,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,844,282.40. This represents a 0.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 92,269 shares of company stock worth $3,952,882 in the last quarter. Insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

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.