Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 46,585 Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired 46,585 shares of Belden Inc valued at approximately $4.67 million, increasing its ownership to 0.12% of the company.
• Equities analysts are optimistic about Belden, with several firms upgrading their ratings and raising the target price to $130.00, reflecting a strong consensus rating of "Buy".
• Belden reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.60, exceeding analyst expectations, and has shown a revenue growth of 16.6% year-over-year.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 46,585 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,670,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.12% of Belden at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Belden during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Belden in the first quarter worth $35,000. Quarry LP grew its position in Belden by 208.7% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 392 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Belden by 34.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 446 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Belden during the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Belden

In related news, SVP Brian Edward Anderson sold 7,158 shares of Belden stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.51, for a total transaction of $934,190.58. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 39,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,164,802.74. This trade represents a 15.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Leah Tate sold 231 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $26,250.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 30,170 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,518.80. This represents a 0.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Belden Stock Performance

Shares of BDC stock traded up $1.26 on Monday, reaching $129.82. The stock had a trading volume of 223,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 263,852. The stock has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06 and a beta of 1.24. Belden Inc has a 1 year low of $83.18 and a 1 year high of $131.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.93. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.78.

Belden (NYSE:BDC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $624.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $615.81 million. Belden had a return on equity of 22.28% and a net margin of 8.35%. Belden's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.24 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Belden Inc will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Belden Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 12th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.15%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 12th. Belden's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BDC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Belden in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Benchmark increased their target price on Belden from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Belden from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $132.75.

Belden Company Profile

Belden Inc designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of signal transmission solutions for mission critical applications in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Enterprise Solutions and Industrial Automation Solutions. The Enterprise Solutions segment offers copper cable and connectivity solutions, fiber cable and connectivity solutions, interconnect panels, racks and enclosures, and signal extension and matrix switching systems for use in applications, such as local area networks, data centers, access control, 5G, fiber to the home, and building automation.