Belden (NYSE:BDC) Shares Down 8% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares of Belden fell about 8% to roughly $117 on Thursday (intraday low $116.86) with trading volume down ~66% versus the average session.
• Belden beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.77 vs. $1.70), delivered revenue up 11.4% year-over-year, and set Q2 2026 guidance of $1.95–$2.05 EPS.
• Analyst views are mixed but leaning positive: Benchmark raised its target to $175, the stock has an average target of $162.50, and the consensus rating is "Moderate Buy."

Shares of Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC - Get Free Report) fell 8% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $116.86 and last traded at $117.3460. 109,567 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 322,277 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BDC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark lifted their target price on Belden from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Belden from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Belden from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Belden currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.50.

Belden Trading Down 11.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company's fifty day moving average price is $126.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.32. The firm has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11 and a beta of 1.27.

Belden (NYSE:BDC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.07. Belden had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 24.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Belden has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.950-2.050 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Belden Inc will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Belden Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. Belden's dividend payout ratio is currently 3.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Belden

In other Belden news, SVP Leah Tate sold 2,954 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $384,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 24,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,234,530. This trade represents a 10.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Doug Zink sold 1,452 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.96, for a total value of $194,509.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $621,842.32. This represents a 23.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,891 shares of company stock worth $639,640 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Belden

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Belden by 12,950.0% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 261 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Belden by 134.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 288 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Belden by 234.3% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Belden during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Belden by 152.5% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 457 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.75% of the company's stock.

Belden Company Profile

Belden, formerly Belden Inc NYSE: BDC, was a global provider of signal transmission solutions for demanding applications. The company produced a wide range of copper and fiber optic cables, connectors, patch panels, cable assemblies, and surge protection devices. Its portfolio extended into networking and security hardware, including managed switches, industrial routers, and software tools for remote monitoring and network management.

Founded in 1902 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Belden built its reputation on delivering high‐performance, reliable products for harsh environments.

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