Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 14,567 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 155,636 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,567 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of Buckle worth $6,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BKE. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Buckle by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,311,848 shares of the company's stock worth $173,638,000 after purchasing an additional 24,051 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Buckle by 4.5% during the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,100,398 shares of the company's stock worth $77,589,000 after purchasing an additional 90,190 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Buckle by 2.2% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,341,866 shares of the company's stock worth $49,566,000 after acquiring an additional 29,349 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 2.2% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 736,132 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,193,000 after purchasing an additional 16,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Buckle by 14.0% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 716,090 shares of the company's stock worth $26,452,000 after acquiring an additional 87,690 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Buckle Trading Down 0.6 %

Buckle stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $46.95. The stock had a trading volume of 111,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,328. The company has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 1.14. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12 month low of $34.87 and a 12 month high of $49.78. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $43.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.70.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 23rd. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter. Buckle had a return on equity of 46.17% and a net margin of 16.69%. The firm had revenue of $282.39 million for the quarter.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Investors of record on Friday, October 11th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 11th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. Buckle's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on BKE. UBS Group raised Buckle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com raised Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.35, for a total transaction of $907,090.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,883,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,551,186.75. This trade represents a 1.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Brett P. Milkie sold 16,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.35, for a total transaction of $661,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 80,170 shares in the company, valued at $3,315,029.50. This represents a 16.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 142,931 shares of company stock valued at $6,080,458 over the last 90 days. 39.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.