First Trust Advisors LP Buys 137,972 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,663,407 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 137,972 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 3.28% of Buckle worth $84,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of BKE. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Buckle by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,286,212 shares of the company's stock worth $65,352,000 after purchasing an additional 69,258 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Buckle by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 937,525 shares of the company's stock worth $47,636,000 after buying an additional 100,173 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Buckle by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 815,688 shares of the company's stock worth $41,454,000 after buying an additional 16,610 shares during the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its holdings in shares of Buckle by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 219,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,257,000 after buying an additional 34,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of Buckle by 442.8% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 190,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,677,000 after buying an additional 155,366 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BKE traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $34.88. The stock had a trading volume of 354,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 451,841. The company has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 0.91. The company's 50 day moving average is $37.51 and its 200-day moving average is $44.22. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.12 and a 12-month high of $54.25.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. Buckle's payout ratio is presently 36.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.86, for a total value of $835,709.58. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,678,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $68,578,402.50. This represents a 1.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 76,011 shares of company stock worth $3,047,788. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.