A special gift awaits investors in The Buckle

Plenty of retailers talk about returning cash to shareholders, but none does so as aggressively as The Buckle which just announced a whopper of a special dividend.



The Kearney, Neb.-based operator of 463 stores said it would pay a $2.77 special dividend in addition to its regular quarterly dividend of 23 cents on Jan. 27 to shareholders of record on Jan. 15. It is the seventh consecutive year the debt-free specialty retailer of young men’s and women’s apparel has paid a special dividend on top of its quarterly payout.



The $2.77 payout is more than double last year’s special dividend of $1.20 but much less generous than the $4.50 share special dividend announced in late 2012. In 2011, 2010 and 2009, The Buckle paid a special annual dividend in addition to quarterly payouts of $2.25, $2.50 and $1.80, respectively.