Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Reaches New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Buckle, Inc. reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $61.08, with a recent price of $60.80 and a market cap of $3.13 billion.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings, with a consensus "Hold" rating and a target price of $54.00, while some upgraded their ratings to "buy."
• The company reported $0.89 EPS in its last quarterly earnings, exceeding estimates, and has announced a dividend of $0.35 per share, yielding 2.3% for investors.

Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $61.08 and last traded at $60.80, with a volume of 71126 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $59.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on BKE shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Buckle from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Buckle presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Buckle Stock Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average price is $52.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.90. The firm has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.02.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 22nd. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $305.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $292.61 million. Buckle had a net margin of 16.12% and a return on equity of 43.97%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John P. Peetz sold 1,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.74, for a total transaction of $83,610.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,623 shares in the company, valued at $1,316,746.02. The trade was a 5.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.36, for a total transaction of $1,187,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 150,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,925,013.44. The trade was a 11.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 57,500 shares of company stock worth $3,320,030. Insiders own 39.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC increased its stake in Buckle by 3,732.0% during the 1st quarter. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC now owns 671,251 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,722,000 after buying an additional 653,734 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Buckle by 180.6% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 284,713 shares of the company's stock worth $14,466,000 after buying an additional 183,257 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 322.4% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 166,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,556,000 after purchasing an additional 127,177 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 13.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,063,856 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,767,000 after buying an additional 126,331 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Impala Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Buckle by 37.1% during the 1st quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 432,080 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,571,000 after purchasing an additional 116,833 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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