Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 20.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,650 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,616 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Buckle were worth $1,116,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BKE. Impala Asset Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $16,049,000 after acquiring an additional 110,273 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $691,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.8% in the 3rd 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. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the third quarter worth approximately $1,629,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 3.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,852,000 after buying an additional 5,185 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Buckle Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $43.42 on Wednesday. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.87 and a 12-month high of $54.25. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.02 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $49.67 and a 200 day moving average of $45.90.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $293.60 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th were given a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s payout ratio is 35.53%.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.18, for a total transaction of $1,087,690.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,781,640 shares in the company, valued at $94,747,615.20. This trade represents a 1.13 % 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, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total value of $1,045,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at $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 sold a total of 93,589 shares of company stock valued at $4,869,767 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on BKE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group raised Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a 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.