The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,040,000 shares, an increase of 7.8% from the August 31st total of 2,820,000 shares. Approximately 9.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 396,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on BKE shares. StockNews.com cut Buckle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price target on Buckle from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Buckle

In other news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.26, for a total transaction of $100,650.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,623 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $991,321.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director John P. Peetz sold 2,500 shares of Buckle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.26, for a total value of $100,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 24,623 shares in the company, valued at approximately $991,321.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dennis H. Nelson sold 20,487 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.33, for a total transaction of $846,727.71. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,965,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,243,083.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 120,799 shares of company stock valued at $5,033,569. 39.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Buckle

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Buckle by 60,000.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 601 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Buckle during the first quarter worth approximately $70,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in Buckle by 119.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Buckle in the 4th quarter valued at $103,000. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Buckle by 217.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 2,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 2,024 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

Shares of Buckle stock opened at $42.98 on Wednesday. Buckle has a fifty-two week low of $30.31 and a fifty-two week high of $48.15. The company has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.21.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 23rd. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter. Buckle had a return on equity of 46.17% and a net margin of 16.69%. The company had revenue of $282.39 million for the quarter.

Buckle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 11th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 11th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.02%.

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.