Belden (NYSE:BDC) Announces Earnings Results

Belden (NYSE:BDC) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The industrial products company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.15, FiscalAI reports. Belden had a return on equity of 23.95% and a net margin of 8.57%.The company had revenue of $720.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $696.97 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Belden updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.650-1.750 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Belden’s conference call:

• Record results: Belden reported a record Q4 revenue of $720M and adjusted EPS of $2.08, and a record full-year revenue of ~$2.7B with adjusted EPS of $7.54, driven by strong order momentum and execution.
• Solutions acceleration & org change: Solutions wins crossed 15% of revenue in 2025 and management launched a unified functional operating model (effective Jan 1, 2026) to scale IT/OT converged solutions and pursue a >20% solutions mix by 2028.
• Segment momentum — Automation led growth while broadband showed mixed trends: Automation Solutions grew ~14% (organic 11%) to nearly $1.5B with strong order growth, Smart Infrastructure reached ~$1.2B with broadband moderation but rising fiber content and expected recovery (BEAD tailwinds).
• Margins & pass‑throughs: Reported gross margin was 38.5% and EBITDA margin 16.9%, but management said tariffs/copper pass‑throughs diluted reported margins while excluding those effects gross margins improved ~160bps and EBITDA ~80bps; Q1 2026 guidance is $675–690M revenue and $1.65–1.75 adjusted EPS.
• Balance sheet & capital allocation: Trailing‑12‑month free cash flow was $219M, the company repurchased $195M of stock (1.7M shares) with $145M remaining authorization, and extended debt maturities via EUR450M notes (avg. rate ~3.9%), leaving net leverage ~1.9x.

Belden Trading Up 7.5%

Shares of BDC stock traded up $10.67 on Thursday, hitting $152.90. The company had a trading volume of 294,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 285,151. Belden has a twelve month low of $83.18 and a twelve month high of $159.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.99. The firm has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $120.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.97.

Belden Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. Belden’s payout ratio is 3.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Hiran Bhadra sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $192,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 26,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,134,280. This represents a 5.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Doug Zink sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.00, for a total transaction of $500,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,642 shares in the company, valued at $580,250. This trade represents a 46.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 16,045 shares of company stock worth $2,010,690 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BDC. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Belden by 4.6% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,290 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Belden by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Belden by 3.8% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,904 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $452,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Belden by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 7,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $849,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Belden by 134.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on BDC. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Belden from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Belden from $149.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Belden in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Belden presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.33.

Belden Company Profile

Belden, formerly Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC), was a global provider of signal transmission solutions for demanding applications. The company produced a wide range of copper and fiber optic cables, connectors, patch panels, cable assemblies, and surge protection devices. Its portfolio extended into networking and security hardware, including managed switches, industrial routers, and software tools for remote monitoring and network management.

Founded in 1902 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Belden built its reputation on delivering high‐performance, reliable products for harsh environments.