Buckle (NYSE:BKE) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $33.39 and last traded at $33.66, with a volume of 820370 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.83.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Buckle from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Buckle from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Buckle Stock Up 1.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.98 and a beta of 0.91. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $39.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.76.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 14th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $379.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $378.97 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The business's revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.59 earnings per share.

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Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle's payout ratio is 36.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total transaction of $888,069.26. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,698,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $73,763,111.76. This trade represents a 1.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 74,136 shares of company stock valued at $2,982,360. 39.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Buckle in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Caption Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Buckle by 268.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares in the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Buckle in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Buckle by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,374 shares of the company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.