Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $138.3333.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Belden from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Belden in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Belden from $149.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th.

Belden Stock Performance

Shares of Belden stock opened at $142.77 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $120.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36 and a beta of 1.20. Belden has a 52 week low of $83.18 and a 52 week high of $145.55.

Belden Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Belden’s payout ratio is currently 3.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Belden news, SVP Leah Tate sold 2,954 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $384,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 24,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,234,530. This represents a 10.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jonathan C. Klein sold 3,000 shares of Belden stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 8,353 shares in the company, valued at $1,037,359.07. This represents a 26.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 16,045 shares of company stock valued at $2,010,690 over the last 90 days. 1.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Belden

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Belden during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,296,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Belden by 238,774.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 422,808 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $49,278,000 after purchasing an additional 422,631 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Belden in the fourth quarter valued at $43,097,000. SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Belden in the 2nd quarter valued at $18,891,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Belden by 712.6% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 145,029 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,443,000 after buying an additional 127,182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.75% of the company’s stock.

Belden Company Profile

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.