Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) Short Interest Up 21.9% in April

Key Points

• Short interest up 21.9% in April to 1,629,887 shares (about 14.5% of shares sold short) with a short-interest ratio of 9.0 days based on average daily volume.
• Director Donald R. Hayward sold 3,595 shares in February (a 24.85% reduction of his position); insiders own 17.80% of the company while institutional investors hold 88.73%, with several funds substantially increasing stakes (e.g., Cooper Creek Partners).
• Analysts carry a “Moderate Buy” consensus (five Buys, two Holds) with a consensus target of $43.50; management set FY2026 EPS guidance of 0.480–0.620 and the company recently slightly beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates.

Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,629,887 shares, a growth of 21.9% from the March 31st total of 1,337,054 shares. Currently, 14.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 180,131 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 9.0 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Donald R. Hayward sold 3,595 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $115,040.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $347,840. This represents a 24.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clearfield

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CLFD. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 1,705.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC now owns 479,741 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $16,493,000 after buying an additional 453,173 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 445.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 179,640 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $6,176,000 after buying an additional 146,690 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 286.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 156,014 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $5,364,000 after buying an additional 115,626 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 262,610 shares of the communications equipment provider's stock worth $9,029,000 after buying an additional 85,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Clearfield in the 2nd quarter worth $2,307,000. Institutional investors own 88.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Clearfield from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Clearfield in a report on Monday, April 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Clearfield currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Clearfield Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CLFD opened at $27.91 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $29.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $381.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.96 and a beta of 2.00. Clearfield has a one year low of $23.76 and a one year high of $46.76.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $34.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.77 million. Clearfield had a negative net margin of 3.93% and a positive return on equity of 1.72%. Clearfield has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.100--0.020 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Clearfield will post 0.67 EPS for the current year.

About Clearfield

Clearfield, Inc NASDAQ: CLFD is a Minneapolis-based company specializing in fiber management products for broadband network deployments. The company's core offerings include fiber distribution hubs, enclosures, splice trays, patching panels and connectivity accessories designed to simplify installation and maintenance of fiber-optic networks. Clearfield's modular FieldSmart™ platform provides a scalable approach for service providers, utilities and enterprise organizations looking to expand or upgrade their fiber infrastructure.

Clearfield serves a diverse customer base that includes cable and internet service providers, telecommunications operators, wireless carriers, utilities and municipalities.

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.