Short Interest in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Increases By 6.9%

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,100,000 shares, an increase of 6.9% from the September 30th total of 2,900,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 393,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days. Approximately 10.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.80, for a total value of $579,852.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,950,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,724,250.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 24,666 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.44, for a total transaction of $1,046,825.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,924,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,688,978.84. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 15,340 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.80, for a total value of $579,852.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,950,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,724,250.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 138,718 shares of company stock worth $5,819,174 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Buckle by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Buckle during the 1st quarter worth $70,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Buckle by 119.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 38.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Buckle by 217.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 2,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 2,024 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Down 0.5 %

Buckle stock traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.36. The stock had a trading volume of 98,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 401,460. Buckle has a 52-week low of $32.16 and a 52-week high of $48.15. The company has a fifty day moving average of $42.80 and a 200 day moving average of $39.84. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.37 and a beta of 1.13.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 23rd. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $282.39 million during the quarter. Buckle had a return on equity of 46.17% and a net margin of 16.69%.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 11th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. Buckle’s payout ratio is presently 34.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BKE. UBS Group dropped their target price on Buckle from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

Buckle Company 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.