Freestone Grove Partners LP Acquires Shares of 64,192 Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 64,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,709,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Buckle by 172.3% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 134,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,204,000 after buying an additional 85,330 shares in the last quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp acquired a new position in Buckle during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,519,000. Stevens Capital Partners bought a new stake in Buckle during the second quarter worth $2,593,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at $1,817,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 190,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,570,000 after purchasing an additional 45,942 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BKE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Buckle from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Buckle in a report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.00.

Buckle Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:BKE opened at $43.59 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $43.54 and its 200-day moving average is $48.16. Buckle, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.73 and a 1-year high of $61.69. The stock has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.04 and a beta of 1.10.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 21st. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.06. Buckle had a net margin of 16.62% and a return on equity of 46.91%. The business had revenue of $319.82 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $319.80 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.26%.

Insider Transactions at Buckle

In other Buckle news, Director Bill L. Fairfield sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.44, for a total transaction of $111,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 52,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,351,231.52. The trade was a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 38.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Buckle

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.