Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• 52-week high: Bel Fuse shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $260.20 and last at $263.98 on Friday (previous close $243.45) on volume of 3,097 shares.
• Earnings beat and dividend: The company reported Q earnings of $1.72 EPS vs. $1.62 expected and revenue of $178.49M vs. $172.07M, with a 7.84% net margin and 22.64% ROE, and declared a $0.06 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.24, ~0.1% yield).
• Insider selling vs. analyst view: The CEO sold 33,967 shares (~$7.95M) and a director sold 4,500 shares (~$1.07M) while MarketBeat shows a consensus Buy rating with a $250 target, below the current share price.

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $260.20 and last traded at $263.9830, with a volume of 3097 shares. The stock had previously closed at $243.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BELFA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bel Fuse from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Bel Fuse in a report on Thursday, February 19th. 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $250.00.

Bel Fuse Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.68 and a beta of 1.25. The business's fifty day moving average price is $206.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 1.71.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $178.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $172.07 million. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 22.64%.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.75, for a total transaction of $1,074,375.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,592,471.25. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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. 4.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in Bel Fuse during the first quarter worth about $205,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Bel Fuse during the first quarter worth about $396,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Bel Fuse during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Bel Fuse by 314.2% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 12,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,932,000 after purchasing an additional 9,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristeia Capital L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Bel Fuse by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. now owns 11,094 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $1,684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,994 shares during the last quarter. 6.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.