Belden (BDC) Competitors

Belden (NYSE:BDC) and Avnet (NASDAQ:AVT) are related mid-cap companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings and media sentiment.

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in BDC or AVT?

98.8% of Belden shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.8% of Avnet shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of Belden shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.5% of Avnet shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media prefer BDC or AVT?

In the previous week, Avnet had 10 more articles in the media than Belden. MarketBeat recorded 15 mentions for Avnet and 5 mentions for Belden. Belden's average media sentiment score of 1.65 beat Avnet's score of 0.92 indicating that Belden is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Belden	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Avnet	8 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is BDC or AVT more profitable?

Belden has a net margin of 8.60% compared to Avnet's net margin of 1.08%. Belden's return on equity of 23.29% beat Avnet's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Belden	8.60%	23.29%	8.71%
Avnet	1.08%	6.07%	2.48%

Is BDC or AVT a better dividend stock?

Belden pays an annual dividend of $0.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Avnet pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. Belden pays out 3.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Avnet pays out 48.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Avnet has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years. Avnet is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts rate BDC or AVT?

Belden currently has a consensus target price of $136.50, suggesting a potential upside of 5.16%. Avnet has a consensus target price of $49.00, suggesting a potential downside of 8.87%. Given Belden's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Belden is more favorable than Avnet.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Belden	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	4 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Avnet	2 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.33

Which has more volatility and risk, BDC or AVT?

Belden has a beta of 1.3, indicating that its stock price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Avnet has a beta of 1.08, indicating that its stock price is 8% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has stronger valuation and earnings, BDC or AVT?

Avnet has higher revenue and earnings than Belden. Avnet is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Belden, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Belden	$2.46B	2.09	$198.43M	$5.52	23.51
Avnet	$22.20B	0.20	$240.22M	$2.73	19.70

Summary

Belden beats Avnet on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.