BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 1,926 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,181 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,926 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.18% of Buckle worth $4,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BKE. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Buckle by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 385,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,594,000 after buying an additional 23,002 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Buckle during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC grew its stake in shares of Buckle by 27.0% in the 4th quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 16,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $851,000 after acquiring an additional 3,562 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Buckle by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 2,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Buckle by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 8,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BKE shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.51, for a total value of $606,083.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,663,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,706,512.85. The trade was a 0.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 55,558 shares of company stock worth $2,159,719. Insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $39.24 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $36.45 and a 200 day moving average of $43.62. The stock has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.94. The 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, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $379.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $378.97 million. Buckle had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.59 EPS.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle’s payout ratio is 36.08%.

Buckle 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.