Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS) Stock Keeps Buy Rating at Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham & Company reaffirmed its Buy rating on Littelfuse and set a $520 price target, implying approximately 34.3% upside from the previous close. The analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $465.83.
• Littelfuse reported strong quarterly earnings, with adjusted EPS of $5.79 exceeding estimates and revenue increasing 22.7% year over year. However, revenue of approximately $766.7 million fell short of the $792.5 million consensus estimate.
• Management provided a constructive outlook, forecasting fourth-quarter sales of $750 million to $770 million and adjusted EPS of $5.05 to $5.25, while reaffirming its 2030 revenue and EBITDA targets.

Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $520.00 target price on the technology company's stock. Needham & Company LLC's target price points to a potential upside of 34.31% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Littelfuse in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Littelfuse from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Littelfuse in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $465.83.

Littelfuse Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ LFUS opened at $387.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of -774.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $410.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $397.66. Littelfuse has a 52 week low of $233.36 and a 52 week high of $500.57.

Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The technology company reported $5.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.82. Littelfuse had a negative net margin of 0.31% and a positive return on equity of 13.02%. The business had revenue of $795.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $792.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.77 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Littelfuse will post 15.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LFUS. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Littelfuse in the second quarter worth about $1,148,821,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new position in Littelfuse during the second quarter valued at approximately $185,057,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Littelfuse during the second quarter valued at approximately $146,471,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Littelfuse during the second quarter valued at approximately $115,306,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Littelfuse in the second quarter valued at approximately $94,552,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Littelfuse News

Here are the key news stories impacting Littelfuse this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings significantly exceeded expectations. Littelfuse reported adjusted EPS of $5.79, above the roughly $4.95–$4.97 analyst consensus and nearly double the prior-year result. GAAP diluted EPS was $4.49, compared with $2.77 a year earlier. Littelfuse Beats Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Record sales and profitability improved year over year. Third-quarter net sales reached approximately $766.7 million, up 22.7% from $624.6 million, while net income increased to $115.4 million from $69.5 million. Operating margin was 20%, and operating cash flow and free cash flow were $230.1 million and $215.7 million, respectively. Littelfuse Q3 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management provided constructive outlook commentary. Fourth-quarter sales guidance is $750 million to $770 million, with adjusted EPS of $5.05 to $5.25. Littelfuse also reaffirmed its long-term 2030 targets of $4.5 billion in revenue and $1.1 billion in adjusted EBITDA. Littelfuse Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The quarterly dividend was maintained at $0.80 per share, equivalent to $3.20 annually and a yield of approximately 0.8%. The dividend is payable December 3 to shareholders of record November 19. Littelfuse Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was below expectations. Sales of $766.7 million missed the FactSet consensus of $792.5 million. The company said results included a $28.5 million Dortmund contract-amendment fee recorded as a reduction to semiconductor revenue, partially explaining the gap. Littelfuse Revenue Earnings Flash
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity may temper enthusiasm. Recent disclosed insider transactions showed sales and no purchases over the cited six-month period, although these trades may reflect compensation or diversification rather than a fundamental view of LFUS.

Littelfuse Company Profile

Littelfuse, Inc is a diversified industrial technology company that develops and manufactures products designed to protect, control and sense electrical energy. Its portfolio includes fuses and other circuit-protection devices, power semiconductor products, relays, switches, sensors and related electronic components.

The company serves customers in the automotive, commercial vehicle, industrial, electronics, energy and communications markets. Its products are used in applications such as vehicle electrification, battery systems, industrial equipment, power distribution, renewable energy systems, data infrastructure and consumer electronics.

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