Short Interest in Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB) Grows By 5.2%

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 307,000 shares, a growth of 5.2% from the November 30th total of 291,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 68,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.5 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Joseph Francis Berry sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.30, for a total transaction of $80,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,246.90. This trade represents a 11.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Stephen Dawson sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.65, for a total value of $116,475.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,151,704.80. This represents a 9.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bel Fuse

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 10.5% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,631 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 4.9% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 16,766 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Bel Fuse in the second quarter valued at $3,346,000. Roubaix Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 19.0% in the second quarter. Roubaix Capital LLC now owns 55,330 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $3,610,000 after purchasing an additional 8,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 28.9% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 31,879 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $2,080,000 after purchasing an additional 7,148 shares in the last quarter. 58.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on BELFB shares. StockNews.com lowered Bel Fuse from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 2nd. Oppenheimer started coverage on Bel Fuse in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Bel Fuse from $79.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Northland Securities raised their target price on Bel Fuse from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Northland Capmk upgraded Bel Fuse from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bel Fuse presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $98.33.

Bel Fuse Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BELFB opened at $82.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 4.00 and a quick ratio of 2.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.84. Bel Fuse has a 1 year low of $45.74 and a 1 year high of $92.61. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 1.33.

Bel Fuse Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.42%.

About Bel Fuse

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.