Belden Inc. (NYSE:BDC) Shares Sold by Sapience Investments LLC

Sapience Investments LLC trimmed its position in Belden Inc. (NYSE:BDC - Free Report) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,923 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,780 shares during the period. Sapience Investments LLC's holdings in Belden were worth $1,906,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Belden in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Belden by 208.7% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 392 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Belden by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 634 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Belden by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 835 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Belden by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 98.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Belden Stock Performance

BDC stock traded down $0.62 during trading on Thursday, hitting $108.65. The company had a trading volume of 40,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 275,327. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $101.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a PE ratio of 22.58 and a beta of 1.24. Belden Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.18 and a 1-year high of $131.82.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.12. Belden had a return on equity of 21.42% and a net margin of 8.06%. The business had revenue of $624.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $615.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Belden Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Belden Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Belden's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.86%.

Insider Activity

In other Belden news, SVP Leah Tate sold 231 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 now owns 30,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,428,518.80. This trade represents a 0.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ashish Chand sold 14,535 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.45, for a total transaction of $1,619,925.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,939,527.05. This trade represents a 11.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,259 shares of company stock valued at $2,340,577 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BDC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Belden from $139.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Belden from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Belden from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Belden in a report on Monday, May 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.20.

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.