Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 39,338 shares, an increase of 51.7% from the February 26th total of 25,927 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 73,211 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Bel Fuse Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of BELFA stock opened at $190.65 on Friday. Bel Fuse has a 1-year low of $53.95 and a 1-year high of $227.42. The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.00 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $197.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $157.69.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.78. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $175.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $172.01 million.

Bel Fuse Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.00, for a total value of $7,948,278.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.75, for a total transaction of $1,074,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,592,471.25. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bel Fuse

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Bel Fuse by 41.5% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 2,613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Bel Fuse in the 4th quarter valued at about $111,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Bel Fuse by 447.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 744 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 608 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Bel Fuse in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Bel Fuse by 92.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 319 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BELFA. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price target on shares of Bel Fuse in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Bel Fuse from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $250.00.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc, incorporated in 1949 and headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, designs and manufactures a broad range of electronic components aimed at ensuring reliable power delivery, circuit protection and signal connectivity. The company operates through two primary segments—Power Solutions Group and Telecom Products Group—serving original equipment manufacturers in multiple end markets, including telecommunications, data communications, consumer electronics, industrial and transportation.

Within its Power Solutions Group, Bel Fuse offers magnetic components such as power and signal transformers, inductors and coils, as well as circuit protection devices including fuses and resettable polyfuses.