Vanguard Group Inc. Has $212.12 Million Position in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake in Buckle by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 3,970,767 shares valued at about $212.1 million. Vanguard now owns 7.76% of the retailer.
• Buckle reported solid quarterly results, posting earnings of $1.59 per share versus estimates of $1.51 and revenue of $399.14 million, up 5.2% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share.
• Insiders sold shares while analysts remained mixed, with EVP Kari G. Smith and SVP Michelle Hoffman both trimming holdings in April. Analyst sentiment stands at a “Moderate Buy” overall, with a consensus price target of $53.00.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,970,767 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 89,441 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 7.76% of Buckle worth $212,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Buckle by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,303,606 shares of the company's stock worth $76,471,000 after purchasing an additional 13,556 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Buckle by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,209,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,971,000 after acquiring an additional 87,920 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its position in Buckle by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 369,091 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,651,000 after acquiring an additional 2,941 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Buckle by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 332,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,485,000 after acquiring an additional 34,398 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Buckle by 376.3% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other news, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total transaction of $1,637,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,814 shares in the company, valued at $4,573,729.98. This represents a 26.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 16,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.80, for a total transaction of $887,760.00. Following the sale, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 126,200 shares of company stock valued at $6,517,932. 39.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BKE shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Buckle from $55.00 to $53.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Buckle from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Buckle presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Buckle Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of BKE stock opened at $52.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $52.44 and a 200-day moving average of $53.72. Buckle, Inc. has a 1-year low of $36.57 and a 1-year high of $61.69.

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

Buckle Dividend Announcement

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

Buckle Company 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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