Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle (NYSE:BKE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday morning.

Separately, UBS Group lowered Buckle from a neutral rating to a sell rating and decreased their price target for the company from $37.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Friday, January 5th.

Buckle Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE BKE opened at $36.68 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $38.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.66. The company has a market cap of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.32 and a beta of 1.23. Buckle has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $48.15.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 15th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $383.63 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 50.88% and a net margin of 17.44%. Buckle’s quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Investors of record on Friday, April 12th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is 31.75%.

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Buckle by 167.6% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,047,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,598,000 after acquiring an additional 655,866 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Buckle by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,888,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,491,000 after buying an additional 381,525 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Buckle by 97.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 693,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,918,000 after buying an additional 342,352 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Buckle by 283.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 435,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,396,000 after buying an additional 322,018 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Buckle by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,148,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,591,000 after buying an additional 288,056 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

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, Reclaim, BKE Vintage, Nova Industries, J.B.