Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) Sees Large Volume Increase – Time to Buy?

Shares of Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 14,618 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 47% from the previous session’s volume of 9,942 shares.The stock last traded at $141.4440 and had previously closed at $139.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Bel Fuse Trading Up 1.2%

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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $126.20 and its 200-day moving average is $107.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64 and a beta of 1.21.

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

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 issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio is 4.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Joseph Berry sold 408 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $58,845.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 17,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,580,707.39. This trade represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kenneth Koon Keung Lai sold 564 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.96, for a total transaction of $80,065.44. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 7,755 shares in the company, valued at $1,100,899.80. The trade was a 6.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,027 shares of company stock worth $435,034. Company insiders own 5.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Bel Fuse

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BELFA. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in Bel Fuse by 0.3% in the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 67,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $6,056,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 13.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,614 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $6,122,000 after acquiring an additional 6,408 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Bel Fuse by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 35,895 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 5,876 shares during the last quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV lifted its position in Bel Fuse by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 26,151 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Bel Fuse in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,628,000. 6.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.