Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) Short Interest Up 29.4% in August

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 significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,070,000 shares, a growth of 29.4% from the August 15th total of 827,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 297,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company's stock are sold short. Currently, 2.7% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 297,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Belden Price Performance

NYSE:BDC traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $130.44. 617,018 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 261,202. The business's 50-day moving average price is $126.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.18. The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.63 and a beta of 1.30. Belden has a 12-month low of $83.18 and a 12-month high of $133.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.72 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $671.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $654.82 million. Belden had a net margin of 8.60% and a return on equity of 23.29%. Belden's revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. Belden has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 1.850-1.950 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Belden will post 7.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Belden Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 11th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Belden's payout ratio is presently 3.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Belden

In other Belden news, SVP Brian Edward Anderson sold 7,158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.51, for a total value of $934,190.58. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Belden

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Belden by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,071,846 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $126,328,000 after acquiring an additional 28,336 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Belden by 37.2% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,024,497 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $102,706,000 after purchasing an additional 277,782 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in 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 period. Channing Capital Management LLC increased its position in Belden by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 625,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $72,478,000 after purchasing an additional 87,400 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Belden by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 621,671 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $71,989,000 after purchasing an additional 31,834 shares during the period. 98.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Belden from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Belden in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Belden from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Belden has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $136.50.

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.