The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Holdings Raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 155,833 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,185 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Buckle were worth $6,852,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impala Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 43.3% during the third quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 365,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,049,000 after purchasing an additional 110,273 shares during the period. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,753,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Buckle by 4.5% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,100,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,589,000 after acquiring an additional 90,190 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Buckle by 14.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 716,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,452,000 after acquiring an additional 87,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in Buckle by 5.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,338,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,849,000 after acquiring an additional 72,532 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Down 6.4 %

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $48.35 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $50.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.66. The company has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.15. The Buckle, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.87 and a fifty-two week high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.01). Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The business had revenue of $293.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $293.60 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $2.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 2.6%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.53%.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.57, for a total value of $1,054,761.21. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,739,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $89,718,082.38. This represents a 1.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,123 shares in the company, valued at $1,143,759.10. This represents a 10.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 134,265 shares of company stock valued at $6,615,570. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BKE has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th.

Buckle Company 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.