Short Interest in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Rises By 21.7%

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,860,000 shares, an increase of 21.7% from the March 31st total of 2,350,000 shares. Currently, 9.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 599,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Insider Activity at Buckle

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

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BKE. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Caption Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Buckle by 268.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 74.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on BKE shares. StockNews.com lowered Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th.

Buckle Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of BKE stock traded up $0.37 on Wednesday, reaching $35.99. 10,422 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 565,583. Buckle has a 52 week low of $33.12 and a 52 week high of $54.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 9.13 and a beta of 0.94. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $36.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.80.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.08%.

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.