Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires New Position in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 13,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $675,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKE. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Buckle by 15.9% during the first quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at about $88,000. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 7,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,000 after buying an additional 1,805 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Buckle by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 340,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,185,000 after acquiring an additional 8,249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Buckle by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 20,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,096,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In related news, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 16,200 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.80, for a total value of $887,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 29,682 shares in the company, valued at $1,626,573.60. This trade represents a 35.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Bill L. Fairfield sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.44, for a total transaction of $111,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 52,908 shares in the company, valued at $2,351,231.52. This represents a 4.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 48,700 shares of company stock worth $2,635,960 over the last 90 days. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Buckle Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of BKE traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $42.69. 14,556 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 481,435. Buckle, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.93 and a fifty-two week high of $61.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 32.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. UBS Group cut their target price on Buckle from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Buckle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Buckle has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.00.

Buckle Profile

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.