Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $36.42, but opened at $37.55. Buckle shares last traded at $35.44, with a volume of 87,488 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th.

Buckle Stock Down 4.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.83 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $39.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.85.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $379.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $378.97 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. Buckle’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.59 EPS.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.03%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.32, for a total transaction of $557,148.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,647,695 shares in the company, valued at $59,844,282.40. The trade was a 0.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 71,816 shares of company stock worth $2,898,120. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Viking Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Buckle in the first quarter valued at $115,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Buckle by 13,565.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 18,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $712,000 after buying an additional 18,449 shares during the last quarter. Novem Group acquired a new position in Buckle during the fourth quarter worth approximately $227,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 65,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,304,000 after acquiring an additional 12,722 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in shares of Buckle by 138.8% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 124,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,351,000 after acquiring an additional 72,652 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

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.