AQR Capital Management LLC Lowers Stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

AQR Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 86,206 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,907 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Buckle worth $4,380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 268.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Buckle by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the company's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Buckle by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,756 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Buckle in a research note on Wednesday.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.51, for a total value of $606,083.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,663,035 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,706,512.85. This represents a 0.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,558 shares of company stock worth $2,159,719. Insiders own 39.80% of the company's stock.

Buckle Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:BKE traded up $0.78 on Thursday, reaching $40.61. The company had a trading volume of 128,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 459,108. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29 and a beta of 0.94. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.12 and a 52-week high of $54.25. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $36.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.59.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.08%.

About Buckle

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.