The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund reduced its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,292 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,577 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Buckle were worth $774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 192.6% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 111,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,287,000 after purchasing an additional 73,232 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth $1,891,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,148,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,591,000 after purchasing an additional 288,056 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 11.9% during the third quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 150,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,022,000 after purchasing an additional 16,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Buckle during the fourth quarter worth $256,000. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Price Performance

BKE opened at $37.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.53 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $38.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.96. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $48.15.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 15th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $383.63 million. Buckle had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 50.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 11th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. Buckle’s payout ratio is 31.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BKE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group cut shares of Buckle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $37.00 to $34.00 in a report on Friday, January 5th.

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.