SG Americas Securities LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 137.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,327 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,334 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Buckle were worth $1,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Buckle by 107.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 44,102 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,629,000 after buying an additional 22,820 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 3.7% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 18,133 shares of the company's stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 655 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Buckle by 18.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 16,777 shares of the company's stock worth $620,000 after purchasing an additional 2,594 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Buckle in the second quarter valued at about $539,000. Finally, JLB & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Buckle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Buckle

In other news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.70, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 22,123 shares in the company, valued at $1,143,759.10. The trade was a 10.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.18, for a total transaction of $1,087,690.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,781,640 shares in the company, valued at $94,747,615.20. The trade was a 1.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 114,042 shares of company stock valued at $5,747,200. Insiders own 39.80% of the company's stock.

Buckle Price Performance

Buckle stock traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $47.83. The company had a trading volume of 338,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 492,475. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $50.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.45. The Buckle, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.87 and a 1 year high of $54.25. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 1.15.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 44.11%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share.

Buckle Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.