Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on CLFD. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Clearfield from $52.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Lake Street Capital set a $38.00 price objective on Clearfield in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Clearfield from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $41.75.

Clearfield Price Performance

Shares of CLFD opened at $33.48 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $454.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -65.65 and a beta of 2.14. The business’s 50-day moving average is $29.77 and its 200-day moving average is $33.16. Clearfield has a fifty-two week low of $23.76 and a fifty-two week high of $52.73.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $43.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.92 million. Clearfield had a negative net margin of 4.71% and a positive return on equity of 1.61%. Clearfield has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.070 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 0.140-0.210 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Clearfield will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AIGH Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Clearfield during the 2nd quarter worth $40,127,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Clearfield in the second quarter valued at about $38,096,000. ACK Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Clearfield by 10.2% in the second quarter. ACK Asset Management LLC now owns 810,200 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,238,000 after purchasing an additional 75,000 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Clearfield in the second quarter worth about $11,046,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Clearfield by 11.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 353,486 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $9,357,000 after purchasing an additional 36,756 shares during the period. 88.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Clearfield

Clearfield, Inc (NASDAQ: CLFD) develops and manufactures fiber optic connectivity solutions used to build, expand, and maintain broadband networks. Its products are designed to simplify fiber deployment and support high-speed communications infrastructure for telecommunications and broadband service providers.

The company’s portfolio includes fiber distribution hubs, cabinets, terminals, enclosures, panels, optical fiber assemblies, and related connectivity components. Clearfield also offers its FieldShield line of ruggedized, craft-friendly fiber products, which are intended to help network operators deploy fiber efficiently in locations such as homes, businesses, and other subscriber premises.

Clearfield serves a range of customers, including wireline telecommunications carriers, cable and broadband operators, municipalities, utilities, government entities, and other organizations involved in fiber network construction.