Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 165,324 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,688 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.32% of Buckle worth $6,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BKE. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Buckle by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Buckle by 1.4% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 21,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $818,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Buckle by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 38,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,939,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in shares of Buckle by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 32,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,666,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Buckle by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $893,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Price Performance

Shares of BKE stock opened at $47.59 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $43.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.08. Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.12 and a 12 month high of $54.25.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 23rd. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $272.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.28 million. Buckle had a net margin of 15.95% and a return on equity of 43.13%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 EPS.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on BKE. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Buckle in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 43,915 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.72, for a total transaction of $1,744,303.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,706,335 shares in the company, valued at $67,775,626.20. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 97,151 shares of company stock worth $3,955,563. Corporate insiders own 39.00% 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, Sterling & Stitch, Reclaim, BKE Vintage, Nova Industries, J.B.