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

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 583,500 shares, an increase of 21.8% from the March 31st total of 479,200 shares. Currently, 5.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 97,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BELFB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on Bel Fuse in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Bel Fuse from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Bel Fuse from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $102.50.

Bel Fuse Stock Performance

Bel Fuse stock opened at $68.61 on Friday. Bel Fuse has a fifty-two week low of $57.73 and a fifty-two week high of $92.61. The company has a market capitalization of $860.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.98, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 2.92.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The electronics maker reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $152.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $147.93 million. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 12.37%. On average, analysts anticipate that Bel Fuse will post 4.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bel Fuse Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 15th. Bel Fuse's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Bel Fuse by 4.5% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,411 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Bel Fuse by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 38,617 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $3,185,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in Bel Fuse by 147.1% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 383 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Bel Fuse by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,887 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,891 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.39% of the company's stock.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc designs, manufactures, markets, and sells products that power, protect, and connect electronic circuits. The company's products are used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, military, commercial aerospace, transportation, and e-Mobility industries.

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