UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Stock Price

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) had its target price lifted by UBS Group from $51.00 to $54.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Buckle has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.00.

Buckle Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $55.9530 on Monday. Buckle has a 12-month low of $33.12 and a 12-month high of $57.53. The firm has a market cap of $2.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.65.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 22nd. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.06. Buckle had a return on equity of 43.97% and a net margin of 16.12%.The company had revenue of $305.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.61 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.00%.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In other Buckle news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.52, for a total value of $890,114.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,655,204 shares in the company, valued at $72,034,478.08. The trade was a 1.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James E. Shada sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.84, for a total value of $498,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,253,943.68. The trade was a 10.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 39.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Buckle by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 24,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 2,727 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Buckle by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 165,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,335,000 after buying an additional 3,688 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Buckle by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 13,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 3,521 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Buckle by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 2,127 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.