Polaris Capital Management LLC Has $1.19 Million Position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Polaris Capital Management LLC cut its stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 29.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. Polaris Capital Management LLC's holdings in Buckle were worth $1,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BKE. 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Buckle by 60.9% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 938 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Buckle in the 3rd quarter valued at $86,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Buckle by 72.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,773 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,000 after buying an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Buckle by 38.7% during 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. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Price Performance

Shares of Buckle stock traded up $0.50 on Friday, hitting $43.08. The company had a trading volume of 211,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 467,652. The Buckle, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.87 and a twelve month high of $54.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $49.25 and a 200-day moving average of $45.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 1.14.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 22nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $293.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the company posted $1.04 EPS.

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 given a $2.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 15th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BKE shares. StockNews.com raised Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group upgraded Buckle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other news, Director Karen B. Rhoads sold 9,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 $11,053,415.07. This trade represents a 4.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.42, for a total value of $888,069.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,698,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,763,111.76. This represents a 1.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 114,042 shares of company stock worth $5,757,836. Corporate insiders own 39.80% of the company's stock.

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.