First Trust Advisors LP Increases Holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,663,407 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 137,972 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 3.28% of Buckle worth $84,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Buckle by 268.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Buckle by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the company's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Buckle by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,756 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Buckle by 72.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,773 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Price Performance

Shares of BKE stock traded down $0.21 on Friday, reaching $34.88. 354,309 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 453,231. The Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $33.12 and a one year high of $54.25. The company has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day moving average of $37.34 and a 200-day moving average of $44.21.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.09. Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The business had revenue of $379.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $378.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.59 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.01%. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total transaction of $888,069.26. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,698,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $73,763,111.76. This trade represents a 1.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 76,011 shares of company stock valued at $3,047,788 in the last 90 days. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on BKE. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.