Plato Investment Management Ltd Makes New Investment in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management initiated a new position in Buckle during the fourth quarter, buying 21,819 shares valued at about $1.17 million.
• Institutional interest in Buckle remains significant, with hedge funds and other investors owning 53.93% of the stock. Several firms, including Two Sigma and JPMorgan, sharply increased their holdings.
• Buckle reported solid quarterly results and paid a dividend: earnings of $1.59 per share beat estimates, revenue rose 5.2% year over year, and the company distributed a $0.35 quarterly dividend yielding about 2.7%.

Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 21,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,171,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Buckle by 3,695.1% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 242,510 shares of the company's stock worth $14,226,000 after buying an additional 236,120 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Buckle by 376.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,948,000 after acquiring an additional 228,260 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in Buckle during the third quarter worth about $10,393,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in Buckle by 322.4% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 166,626 shares of the company's stock worth $7,556,000 after acquiring an additional 127,177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 489,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,139,000 after purchasing an additional 120,215 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Buckle from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Buckle from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Buckle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $53.00.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other Buckle news, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total value of $1,637,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 83,814 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,573,729.98. This represents a 26.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 16,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.80, for a total value of $887,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 29,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,626,573.60. This trade represents a 35.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 126,200 shares of company stock worth $6,517,932 over the last 90 days. 39.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Buckle Price Performance

Buckle stock opened at $52.45 on Monday. Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.57 and a 12-month high of $61.69. The company has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $52.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.72.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 13th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.08. Buckle had a net margin of 16.16% and a return on equity of 45.18%. The company had revenue of $399.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $396.45 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.82%.

Buckle Profile

Buckle, Inc is a retailer specializing in casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. The company is known for its denim-focused collections, offering both private-label lines and curated brand-name merchandise. Its product assortment includes jeans, tops, outerwear, shoes and a variety of accessories such as belts, jewelry and handbags, all aimed at blending contemporary style with everyday comfort.

Founded in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle began as a single clothing store and has since expanded into a nationwide chain.

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