Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS) Shares Down 7% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Littelfuse shares fell 7% in Thursday trading, with volume running well below average as the stock slipped from a prior close of $481.02 to around $447.51.
• The company’s latest earnings report was stronger than expected, as it posted $3.31 EPS and $656.97 million in revenue, both above analyst estimates, while revenue rose 18.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive despite mixed ratings changes, with an average “Buy” rating and an average price target of $436.67; Littelfuse also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share.

Littelfuse, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFUS - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $441.89 and last traded at $447.5110. 140,743 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 275,200 shares. The stock had previously closed at $481.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Benchmark upgraded Littelfuse from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Littelfuse from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Littelfuse from $450.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Littelfuse from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Littelfuse from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $436.67.

Littelfuse Stock Down 4.3%

The stock has a market cap of $11.65 billion, a PE ratio of -270.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $369.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $314.19.

Littelfuse (NASDAQ:LFUS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The technology company reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $656.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $638.98 million. Littelfuse had a positive return on equity of 11.62% and a negative net margin of 1.61%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.19 EPS. Littelfuse has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.650-3.850 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Littelfuse, Inc. will post 13.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Littelfuse Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Littelfuse's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -177.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Littelfuse

In other Littelfuse news, Director Kristina A. Cerniglia sold 2,343 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.38, for a total value of $863,114.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,567,456.90. This represents a 35.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Maggie Chu sold 282 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $396.90, for a total transaction of $111,925.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 6,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,381,796.90. The trade was a 4.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,351 shares of company stock worth $1,629,860. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Littelfuse

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Littelfuse by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,969,874 shares of the technology company's stock worth $751,141,000 after acquiring an additional 44,826 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its stake in shares of Littelfuse by 67.3% in the 4th quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,024,176 shares of the technology company's stock worth $259,035,000 after acquiring an additional 412,160 shares during the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. increased its stake in shares of Littelfuse by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 980,498 shares of the technology company's stock worth $247,988,000 after acquiring an additional 37,203 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Littelfuse by 58.6% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 609,966 shares of the technology company's stock worth $154,273,000 after acquiring an additional 225,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Littelfuse by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 516,479 shares of the technology company's stock worth $130,635,000 after acquiring an additional 25,860 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Littelfuse Company Profile

Littelfuse, Inc is a global manufacturer of circuit protection, power control, and sensing technologies. Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company develops and produces a broad range of products designed to safeguard electrical and electronic systems across a variety of end markets. Littelfuse's offerings include fuses, semiconductors, relays, and sensors, all engineered to protect against overcurrent, overvoltage, and thermal events in demanding applications.

The company's product portfolio is organized into key segments such as Automotive, Industrial & Electronics, and Power & Sensor.

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