Verition Fund Management LLC Sells 36,313 Shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Verition Fund Management LLC trimmed its position in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE - Free Report) by 32.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,271 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,313 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Buckle worth $3,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 90,190 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Buckle by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,341,866 shares of the company's stock worth $49,566,000 after purchasing an additional 29,349 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Buckle by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,216,954 shares of the company's stock worth $53,509,000 after purchasing an additional 48,436 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $27,193,000 after purchasing an additional 16,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Buckle by 14.0% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 716,090 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,452,000 after purchasing an additional 87,690 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,453 shares of the firm'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 value of $1,087,690.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,781,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $94,747,615.20. This trade represents a 1.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Karen B. Rhoads sold 9,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.63, for a total transaction of $490,485.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 214,089 shares in the company, valued at $11,053,415.07. The trade was a 4.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 148,218 shares of company stock valued at $6,611,809 over the last ninety days. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised Buckle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the company from $31.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th.

Buckle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BKE traded down $1.79 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $52.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 208,421 shares, compared to its average volume of 403,374. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 1.14. The Buckle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.87 and a 12-month high of $54.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $45.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.67.

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

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 11th were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 11th. Buckle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

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.