American Century Companies Inc. Increases Stake in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Buckle, Inc. by 13.5%, acquiring an additional 126,331 shares to reach a total of 1,063,856 shares, valued at approximately $40.77 million.
• Buckle reported earnings of $0.70 per share for the last quarter, beating estimates and achieving a revenue increase of 3.7% year-over-year to $272.12 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, reflecting a 2.5% yield and a payout ratio of 35.99%.

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 13.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,063,856 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 126,331 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.08% of Buckle worth $40,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Buckle by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 185,068 shares of the company's stock worth $7,092,000 after acquiring an additional 12,897 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the first quarter worth $327,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 4,548.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,461 shares of the company's stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 6,322 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 27.3% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 94,894 shares of the company's stock worth $3,636,000 after buying an additional 20,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the first quarter worth $3,850,000. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Buckle Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:BKE traded down $0.1050 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $55.7950. The company's stock had a trading volume of 45,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 535,078. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.56 and a 200-day moving average of $42.65. Buckle, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.12 and a 1 year high of $57.53.

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

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Buckle from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $54.00.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other news, Director James E. Shada sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.84, for a total transaction of $498,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 85,352 shares in the company, valued at $4,253,943.68. This trade represents a 10.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.52, for a total value of $890,114.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,655,204 shares in the company, valued at $72,034,478.08. This trade represents a 1.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.