Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $159.52 and last traded at $154.65, with a volume of 33535 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $152.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.00.

Bel Fuse Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 3.06 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.81 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.31.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.59. The company had revenue of $178.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $171.69 million. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 10.04% and a return on equity of 21.18%.

Bel Fuse Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Joseph Berry sold 408 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $58,845.84. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 17,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,707.39. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kenneth Koon Keung Lai sold 1,936 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $279,229.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,199,849.37. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 3,027 shares of company stock worth $435,034 over the last ninety days. 5.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bel Fuse

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BELFA. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Bel Fuse by 19.6% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 35,895 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $2,587,000 after purchasing an additional 5,876 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Bel Fuse during the second quarter worth $330,000. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV purchased a new stake in Bel Fuse in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,341,000. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its stake in Bel Fuse by 23.2% during the 2nd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 5,302 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Bel Fuse during the 2nd quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 6.01% of the company’s stock.

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.