Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest in Belden Inc has increased by 29.4%, rising to 1,070,000 shares as of August 31st, indicating growing bearish sentiment among investors.
• Belden reported a strong quarterly performance with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.89, surpassing estimates, and a revenue increase of 11.2% year-over-year.
• The company declared a $0.05 quarterly dividend set to be paid on October 7th, with a low annual dividend yield of 0.2% and a payout ratio of 3.62%.

Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,070,000 shares, an increase of 29.4% from the August 15th total of 827,000 shares. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 297,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 297,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Belden Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of BDC stock traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $130.44. The company had a trading volume of 617,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 284,330. The company has a 50 day moving average of $126.64 and a 200 day moving average of $112.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63 and a beta of 1.30. Belden has a 1-year low of $83.18 and a 1-year high of $133.77.

Belden (NYSE:BDC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.17. Belden had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 23.29%. The business had revenue of $671.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $654.82 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.51 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. Belden has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.850-1.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Belden will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Belden Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th will be paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 11th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Belden's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 3.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Belden from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Belden from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Belden in a report on Friday, July 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Belden presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $136.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Belden news, SVP Brian Edward Anderson sold 7,158 shares of Belden stock in a transaction 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 $5,164,802.74. The trade was a 15.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Belden

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Belden during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,804,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Belden by 37.2% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,024,497 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $102,706,000 after acquiring an additional 277,782 shares during the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Belden in the 2nd quarter valued at $18,891,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Belden in the 1st quarter valued at about $13,517,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Belden by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 821,118 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $82,319,000 after purchasing an additional 125,722 shares during the last quarter. 98.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Belden

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.