Entropy Technologies LP Takes Position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,487 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $380,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 5.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,338,395 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,849,000 after buying an additional 72,532 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,216,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,509,000 after buying an additional 48,436 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,078 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,142,000 after buying an additional 36,472 shares during the period. Impala Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 43.3% during the third quarter. Impala Asset Management LLC now owns 365,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,049,000 after buying an additional 110,273 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 3.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 155,833 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,852,000 after buying an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Buckle Price Performance

NYSE BKE traded up $0.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $43.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 469,466 shares, compared to its average volume of 447,371. The Buckle, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.87 and a fifty-two week high of $54.25. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 1.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $49.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.90.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.01). Buckle had a return on equity of 44.11% and a net margin of 16.21%. The firm had revenue of $293.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $293.60 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.04 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th were issued a dividend of $2.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group raised Buckle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total transaction of $888,069.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,698,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $73,763,111.76. The trade was a 1.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total value of $129,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,123 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,143,759.10. This trade represents a 10.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 114,042 shares of company stock valued at $5,757,836 over the last quarter. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.