First Trust Advisors LP Trims Position in Buckle, Inc. (The) $BKE

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its holdings in shares of Buckle, Inc. (The) (NYSE:BKE) by 32.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 577,707 shares of the company’s stock after selling 283,168 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Buckle were worth $26,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Buckle by 162.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 957 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Buckle by 500.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 62,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,830,000 after acquiring an additional 52,005 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Buckle during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,409,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Buckle in the second quarter worth approximately $769,000. Finally, Capital Fund Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Buckle by 228.4% in the second quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 53,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,418,000 after acquiring an additional 37,079 shares during the last quarter. 53.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Buckle Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:BKE opened at $56.48 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.81. Buckle, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.12 and a twelve month high of $61.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 1.14.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 21st. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.02. Buckle had a return on equity of 44.42% and a net margin of 16.13%.The company had revenue of $320.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $317.97 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be issued a $3.00 dividend. This represents a yield of 248.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on BKE. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Buckle in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Buckle from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Buckle in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

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.