Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 16,610 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 815,688 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,610 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Buckle were worth $41,454,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Buckle by 187.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,824 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after purchasing an additional 2,492 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $214,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 5.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,338,395 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,849,000 after buying an additional 72,532 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Buckle by 6.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 6.8% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 7,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the period. 53.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKE has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.86, for a total transaction of $835,709.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,678,375 shares in the company, valued at $68,578,402.50. The trade was a 1.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 74,136 shares of company stock worth $2,982,360. 39.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Buckle Stock Performance

NYSE BKE opened at $34.23 on Wednesday. The Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $33.12 and a one year high of $54.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.75 and a 200 day moving average of $44.63. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 0.91.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.09. Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The company had revenue of $379.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $378.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.59 earnings per share. 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle’s payout ratio 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.