Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB) Lowered to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Bel Fuse from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Oppenheimer set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Bel Fuse and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Northland Securities set a $188.00 target price on shares of Bel Fuse in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $170.00 price target on Bel Fuse in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

Bel Fuse Price Performance

Bel Fuse stock opened at $200.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.48, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a current ratio of 3.06, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Bel Fuse has a 12 month low of $57.99 and a 12 month high of $202.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $167.31 and its 200-day moving average is $145.77.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bel Fuse

In related news, VP Joseph Berry sold 408 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 17,893 shares in the company, valued at $2,580,707.39. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kenneth Koon Keung Lai sold 564 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.96, for a total value of $80,065.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 7,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,100,899.80. This represents a 6.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,027 shares of company stock valued at $435,034. 5.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Bel Fuse

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Bel Fuse in the third quarter valued at approximately $14,537,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Bel Fuse by 66.8% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 245,248 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $34,584,000 after purchasing an additional 98,178 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Bel Fuse by 28.3% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 325,800 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $31,827,000 after purchasing an additional 71,895 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Bel Fuse by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 284,014 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $27,745,000 after purchasing an additional 71,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Portolan Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Bel Fuse by 97.9% during the 3rd quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC now owns 123,766 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $17,453,000 after buying an additional 61,240 shares during the period. 58.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc is a global manufacturer of electronic components that bridge power, data and video applications. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products, including board-level circuit protection devices such as fuses, positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistors and inductors; power transformers, modules and supplies; as well as connectivity solutions encompassing USB, HDMI, RJ45, coaxial and fiber-optic connectors. These products serve a wide array of end markets, including telecommunications, data communications, consumer electronics, industrial automation, automotive and renewable energy.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Oradell, New Jersey, Bel Fuse has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.