Pacer Advisors Inc. Reduces Holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 152,393 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,237 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Buckle were worth $8,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BKE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Buckle by 376.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 288,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,948,000 after purchasing an additional 228,260 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in Buckle by 172.3% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 134,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,204,000 after purchasing an additional 85,330 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Buckle in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,454,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 27,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,481,000 after purchasing an additional 14,746 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Buckle in the fourth quarter worth about $1,171,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Bill L. Fairfield sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.44, for a total value of $111,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 52,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,351,231.52. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 16,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.80, for a total transaction of $887,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 29,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,626,573.60. This represents a 35.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 48,700 shares of company stock worth $2,635,960. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Buckle from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Buckle from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.00.

Buckle Trading Down 0.2%

BKE opened at $45.06 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 1.08. Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.65 and a 12-month high of $61.69. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.75.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 29th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.18. Buckle had a return on equity of 47.35% and a net margin of 16.85%.The firm had revenue of $288.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $287.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.11%.

About Buckle

Buckle, Inc is a retailer specializing in casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. The company is known for its denim-focused collections, offering both private-label lines and curated brand-name merchandise. Its product assortment includes jeans, tops, outerwear, shoes and a variety of accessories such as belts, jewelry and handbags, all aimed at blending contemporary style with everyday comfort.

Founded in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle began as a single clothing store and has since expanded into a nationwide chain.