Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Takes $232,000 Position in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired a new position in Buckle, Inc. worth approximately $232,000, securing 6,054 shares during the first quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have upgraded Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating, indicating increased confidence in the stock's future performance.
• Buckle reported $0.70 earnings per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a year-over-year revenue increase of 3.7%.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 6,054 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BKE. GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 239.3% in the first quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 37,212 shares of the company's stock worth $1,426,000 after buying an additional 26,245 shares during the period. Burney Co. boosted its position in shares of Buckle by 6.1% in the first quarter. Burney Co. now owns 29,430 shares of the company's stock worth $1,128,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 1st quarter valued at $380,000. Optimist Retirement Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 10,477 shares of the company's stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Buckle by 19.2% in the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 169,512 shares of the company's stock worth $6,496,000 after buying an additional 27,284 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

Shares of BKE traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.21. 105,400 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 531,003. The stock has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $46.27 and a 200-day moving average of $41.94. Buckle, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.12 and a 52 week high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 23rd. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $272.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $264.28 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 43.13% and a net margin of 15.95%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.70 EPS.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Buckle's payout ratio is 35.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BKE shares. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Buckle in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James E. Shada sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.84, for a total value of $498,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,352 shares in the company, valued at $4,253,943.68. This trade represents a 10.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 43,915 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.72, for a total transaction of $1,744,303.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,706,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $67,775,626.20. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 105,046 shares of company stock valued at $4,377,425. Company 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.