Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 369 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Buckle were worth $1,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BKE. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Buckle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Buckle by 60.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Buckle by 268.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Buckle by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BKE shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total value of $888,069.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,269 shares of company stock valued at $3,952,882. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Price Performance

NYSE:BKE opened at $38.39 on Tuesday. The Buckle, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.67 and a 1 year high of $54.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $41.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.38. The company has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.74 and a beta of 1.17.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.09. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The company had revenue of $379.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $378.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.08%.

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.