Short Interest in Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) Grows By 19.3%

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 25,927 shares, a growth of 19.3% from the February 12th total of 21,729 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,313 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 40,313 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Bel Fuse Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ BELFA opened at $192.73 on Wednesday. Bel Fuse has a 1 year low of $53.95 and a 1 year high of $227.42. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.48. The company has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.45 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 1.71.

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

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Bel Fuse

In related news, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.00, for a total transaction of $7,948,278.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.75, for a total value of $1,074,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,592,471.25. This represents a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bel Fuse

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse during the fourth quarter valued at $61,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 314.2% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 12,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,932,000 after acquiring an additional 9,656 shares during the period. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. now owns 11,094 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,684,000 after acquiring an additional 1,994 shares during the period. Hound Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,714,000. Finally, Nitor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,063,000. 6.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BELFA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bel Fuse from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bel Fuse presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target 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.