Vestcor Inc Sells 18,256 Shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE)

Vestcor Inc reduced its holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,256 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc owned about 0.16% of Buckle worth $3,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 515.3% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 294,953 shares of the company's stock worth $14,987,000 after acquiring an additional 247,019 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Buckle by 180.6% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 284,713 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,466,000 after purchasing an additional 183,257 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Buckle by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,663,407 shares of the company's stock worth $84,518,000 after purchasing an additional 137,972 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 4th quarter worth about $4,909,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 138.8% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 124,986 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,351,000 after buying an additional 72,652 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Price Performance

NYSE:BKE traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $49.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 395,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 404,923. The company has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.05. Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $33.12 and a one year high of $54.25. The business's 50-day moving average is $45.93 and its 200-day moving average is $41.89.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 23rd. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.05. The company 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.70 earnings per share.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BKE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Buckle in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 43,915 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.72, for a total value of $1,744,303.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,706,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,775,626.20. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director James E. Shada sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 85,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,253,943.68. This represents a 10.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 105,046 shares of company stock worth $4,377,425. Corporate insiders own 39.00% of the company's stock.

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.