Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Separately, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Buckle in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th.

Buckle Trading Up 2.5%

BKE stock opened at $41.46 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.01 and a 200-day moving average of $43.52. Buckle has a 12 month low of $33.12 and a 12 month high of $54.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 0.94.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 analyst estimates of $378.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.59 earnings per share. Buckle's revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.86, for a total transaction of $835,709.58. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,678,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $68,578,402.50. This trade represents a 1.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 130,151 shares of company stock worth $5,148,629 over the last three months. 39.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 1,928.1% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 649 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Caption Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. 53.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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