Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB) Cut to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB) was downgraded from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting changing analyst sentiments.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" with a consensus target price of $113.60, despite the recent downgrade.
• Insider selling has been noted, with total sales of 7,100 shares valued at $731,804 in the last 90 days, indicating increased insider activity.

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Bel Fuse in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Bel Fuse from $116.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Oppenheimer set a $125.00 price objective on Bel Fuse and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Northland Securities boosted their price objective on Bel Fuse from $93.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Bel Fuse to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $113.60.

Bel Fuse Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ BELFB traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $140.07. 11,407 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 117,907. The company has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.52. Bel Fuse has a one year low of $57.99 and a one year high of $141.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $114.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 3.05.

Bel Fuse Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. This is an increase from Bel Fuse's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 15th. Bel Fuse's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bel Fuse

In other Bel Fuse news, insider Stephen Dawson sold 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.07, for a total value of $152,484.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 14,265 shares in the company, valued at $1,812,653.55. This represents a 7.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Kenneth Koon Keung Lai sold 1,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.00, for a total value of $243,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 10,255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,312,640. This trade represents a 15.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,100 shares of company stock valued at $731,804 in the last quarter. 5.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BELFB. CWM LLC grew its stake in Bel Fuse by 147.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 383 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Bel Fuse in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Bel Fuse by 60.0% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,000 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Bel Fuse by 437.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,038 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Bel Fuse by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,600 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.