Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) Short Interest Update

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 21,729 shares, a growth of 64.8% from the January 29th total of 13,188 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 48,416 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 48,416 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Bel Fuse Stock Performance

Shares of BELFA traded down $4.82 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $207.14. The stock had a trading volume of 6,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,533. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $186.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.37. Bel Fuse has a fifty-two week low of $53.95 and a fifty-two week high of $227.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 3.02.

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

Bel Fuse Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms 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 note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $182.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 15,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,592,471.25. This trade represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.00, for a total transaction of $7,948,278.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.