Miller Value Partners LLC Sells 20,000 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Miller Value Partners LLC cut its holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 105,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,000 shares during the quarter. Buckle accounts for 2.3% of Miller Value Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Miller Value Partners LLC owned about 0.21% of Buckle worth $5,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Buckle by 4.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,078 shares of the company's stock worth $35,142,000 after purchasing an additional 36,472 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Buckle by 3.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,833 shares of the company's stock worth $6,852,000 after purchasing an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Buckle by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,286,212 shares of the company's stock worth $65,352,000 after purchasing an additional 69,258 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Buckle during the third quarter worth approximately $214,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 2,105 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.36, for a total value of $76,537.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,728,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,839,170. The trade was a 0.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 76,011 shares of company stock valued at $3,047,788. Company insiders own 39.80% of the company's stock.

Buckle Trading Down 1.5 %

Buckle stock traded down $0.53 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.51. 89,928 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,987. The business's 50 day moving average is $37.03 and its 200 day moving average is $44.09. The Buckle, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.12 and a 52 week high of $54.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 0.91.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is 36.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on 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 downgraded Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a 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.