Belden (NYSE:BDC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $135.61 and last traded at $136.1170, with a volume of 13306 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $131.72.

Key Headlines Impacting Belden

Here are the key news stories impacting Belden this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment is tilted positive — analysts and aggregators show a “Moderate Buy” consensus and recent upgrades that raise expectations for the name, supporting buyer interest. Analyst Consensus
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage singled out Belden as a top-performing stock today (featured in Yahoo Finance’s roundup of soaring stocks and an MSN piece on names hitting new highs), which can attract momentum flows and retail/intraday buyers. Yahoo: Cummins, Belden, and Perma-Fix Shares Are Soaring MSN: Stocks to New Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional demand and recent increases by funds (cited in MarketBeat reporting) provide buying support and liquidity, helping push the stock toward its 52-week high. MarketBeat Institutional Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Technicals & valuation are mixed — BDC is trading near its 52‑week high with a P/E around 25 and above its 50/200-day moving averages; that can attract momentum buyers but also sets a higher bar for continued upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives is notable — CAO Doug Zink and SVP Leah Tate have sold shares in recent filings (multiple transactions totaling ~1,900–4,000 shares across dates), which may create supply and raise caution for some investors. InsiderTrades: CAO Sale SEC Filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on BDC shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Belden from $149.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Belden from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Belden in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.00.

Belden Stock Up 6.2%

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85 and a beta of 1.20.

Belden Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Belden

In other Belden news, Director Jonathan C. Klein sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.19, for a total value of $372,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,037,359.07. This trade represents a 26.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Hiran Bhadra sold 1,600 shares of Belden stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was 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 $3,134,280. This trade represents a 5.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 16,045 shares of company stock valued at $2,010,690. Company insiders own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Belden

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Belden by 1.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,893,012 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $588,483,000 after acquiring an additional 93,274 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Belden by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,071,846 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $126,328,000 after purchasing an additional 28,336 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Belden by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,015,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $122,152,000 after purchasing an additional 39,096 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Belden by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 625,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,478,000 after purchasing an additional 87,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Belden by 5.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 621,671 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $71,989,000 after purchasing an additional 31,834 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.75% of the company’s stock.

About Belden

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.