Meritage Portfolio Management Has $1.11 Million Stake in The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE)

Meritage Portfolio Management increased its holdings in shares of The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE:BKE) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,270 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Buckle were worth $1,106,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BKE. Gladius Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Buckle by 408.3% in the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Buckle in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 321.2% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Buckle by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,404 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Buckle by 1,181.9% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 4,113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.93% of the company’s stock.

Buckle Stock Performance

NYSE:BKE traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $37.55. 123,073 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 451,296. The Buckle, Inc. has a one year low of $30.18 and a one year high of $48.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.32 and a beta of 1.23. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.82.

Buckle (NYSE:BKE) last released its earnings results on Friday, March 15th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.15. Buckle had a net margin of 17.44% and a return on equity of 50.88%. The firm had revenue of $382.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $383.63 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Buckle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 11th. Buckle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on BKE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Buckle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group cut shares of Buckle from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Friday, January 5th.

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, Reclaim, BKE Vintage, Nova Industries, J.B.