Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) Short Interest Up 64.8% in February

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 21,729 shares, an increase of 64.8% from the January 29th total of 13,188 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 48,416 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 48,416 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Activity

In other Bel Fuse news, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.75, for a total value of $1,074,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,592,471.25. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.00, for a total transaction of $7,948,278.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 5.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bel Fuse

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BELFA. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Bel Fuse by 92.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 319 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse in the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Bel Fuse by 447.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 744 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse during the fourth quarter worth approximately $111,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Bel Fuse by 41.5% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 2,613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares in the last quarter. 6.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bel Fuse Stock Performance

Bel Fuse stock opened at $211.95 on Friday. Bel Fuse has a fifty-two week low of $53.95 and a fifty-two week high of $227.42. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $186.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $146.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 1.71. The company has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.58 and a beta of 1.23.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.78. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The business had revenue of $175.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.01 million.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on BELFA shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Bel Fuse from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price objective on Bel Fuse in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bel Fuse presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $182.50.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc, incorporated in 1949 and headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, designs and manufactures a broad range of electronic components aimed at ensuring reliable power delivery, circuit protection and signal connectivity. The company operates through two primary segments—Power Solutions Group and Telecom Products Group—serving original equipment manufacturers in multiple end markets, including telecommunications, data communications, consumer electronics, industrial and transportation.

Within its Power Solutions Group, Bel Fuse offers magnetic components such as power and signal transformers, inductors and coils, as well as circuit protection devices including fuses and resettable polyfuses.