Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB) Short Interest Update

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 315,100 shares, a growth of 28.7% from the March 15th total of 244,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 128,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Bel Fuse Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BELFB traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $58.54. The company had a trading volume of 65,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,199. The firm has a market cap of $746.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $60.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.95. Bel Fuse has a 52 week low of $30.11 and a 52 week high of $74.75.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The electronics maker reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $140.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $152.86 million. Bel Fuse had a return on equity of 24.87% and a net margin of 11.54%. On average, analysts forecast that Bel Fuse will post 4.7 EPS for the current year.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Bel Fuse's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BELFB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Northland Securities started coverage on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $83.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Bel Fuse from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Bel Fuse from $77.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Vincent Vellucci sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.70, for a total transaction of $56,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,392 shares of the company's stock, valued at $419,126.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 5.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 1,481.9% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,835 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,719 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Bel Fuse in the first quarter worth about $33,000. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 105.1% during the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,053 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in Bel Fuse during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 58.39% of the company's stock.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc designs, manufactures, markets, and sells products that are used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, military, commercial aerospace, transportation, and e-Mobility industries in the United States, the People's Republic of China, Macao, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Germany, India, Switzerland, and internationally.