Vestcor Inc Boosts Stock Position in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Vestcor Inc grew its holdings in Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 55.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 65,603 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,344 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Buckle were worth $3,505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Buckle by 81.6% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Buckle by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 42,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,246,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of Buckle by 3.8% in the third quarter. Glenmede Investment Management LP now owns 7,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Buckle by 1.4% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 22,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Buckle by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 9,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,000 after buying an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other Buckle news, EVP Kari G. Smith sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total value of $1,637,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 83,814 shares in the company, valued at $4,573,729.98. This represents a 26.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Michelle Hoffman sold 16,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.80, for a total value of $887,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 29,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,626,573.60. The trade was a 35.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 126,200 shares of company stock valued at $6,517,932. 39.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on BKE shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on Buckle from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Buckle from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Buckle currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Buckle Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:BKE opened at $44.69 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $51.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.57. The stock has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.25 and a beta of 1.08. Buckle, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.39 and a 52-week high of $61.69.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 29th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $288.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $287.68 million. Buckle had a return on equity of 47.35% and a net margin of 16.85%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 EPS.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.11%.

Buckle Profile

Buckle, Inc is a retailer specializing in casual apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. The company is known for its denim-focused collections, offering both private-label lines and curated brand-name merchandise. Its product assortment includes jeans, tops, outerwear, shoes and a variety of accessories such as belts, jewelry and handbags, all aimed at blending contemporary style with everyday comfort.

Founded in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle began as a single clothing store and has since expanded into a nationwide chain.