Short Interest in Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB) Expands By 5.6%

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 324,200 shares, a growth of 5.6% from the December 15th total of 307,000 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 68,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Joseph Francis Berry sold 1,000 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.30, for a total value of $80,300.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,246.90. The trade was a 11.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Stephen Dawson sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.65, for a total transaction of $116,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 14,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,151,704.80. This trade represents a 9.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bel Fuse

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Bel Fuse in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Bel Fuse by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,197 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse in the third quarter worth $200,000. One Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Bel Fuse during the third quarter valued at $227,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC bought a new position in Bel Fuse in the third quarter valued at about $288,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.39% of the company’s stock.

Bel Fuse Stock Up 0.3 %

BELFB stock opened at $79.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 4.00 and a quick ratio of 2.71. Bel Fuse has a 1-year low of $45.74 and a 1-year high of $92.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $81.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.14.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Bel Fuse from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 2nd. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Bel Fuse from $79.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their target price on shares of Bel Fuse from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bel Fuse currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $98.33.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc designs, manufactures, markets, and sells products that power, protect, and connect electronic circuits. The company’s products are used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, military, commercial aerospace, transportation, and e-Mobility industries.