Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Decreases Position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lowered its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 38,727 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,234 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC owned 0.08% of Buckle worth $1,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Buckle by 52.0% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in Buckle by 60.9% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 38.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,236 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position in Buckle by 85.3% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,725 shares of the company's stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other news, Director Karen B. Rhoads sold 9,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total value of $490,485.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 214,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,053,415.07. The trade was a 4.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.29, for a total transaction of $1,045,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 150,554 shares in the company, valued at $7,872,468.66. The trade was a 11.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 114,042 shares of company stock worth $5,747,200 in the last three months. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BKE shares. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

Buckle Price Performance

NYSE:BKE traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $47.07. 419,529 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 507,339. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $50.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.33. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.87 and a 12-month high of $54.25.

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

Buckle Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a $2.50 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 15th. Buckle's payout ratio is currently 35.53%.

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.