Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Hold”

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on CLFD. Wall Street Zen cut Clearfield from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Northland Securities raised Clearfield from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on Clearfield from $50.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Clearfield in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of Clearfield from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Clearfield currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Clearfield Stock Down 3.4%

NASDAQ CLFD opened at $31.40 on Monday. Clearfield has a fifty-two week low of $23.78 and a fifty-two week high of $46.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $30.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.72. The stock has a market cap of $434.89 million, a PE ratio of -64.08 and a beta of 1.94.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $34.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.77 million. Clearfield had a negative net margin of 3.93% and a positive return on equity of 1.72%. Clearfield has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.100–0.020 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Clearfield will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clearfield announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 25th that allows the company to buyback $85.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the communications equipment provider to repurchase up to 22% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Clearfield

In other Clearfield news, Chairman Ronald G. Roth acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $30.06 per share, with a total value of $300,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 1,279,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,454,675.84. This represents a 0.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 17.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clearfield

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CLFD. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Clearfield during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Clearfield by 116.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,882 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Clearfield during the 1st quarter worth $131,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Clearfield in the third quarter worth $202,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Clearfield by 4.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,222 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.73% of the company’s stock.

About Clearfield

Clearfield, Inc (NASDAQ: CLFD) is a Minneapolis-based company specializing in fiber management products for broadband network deployments. The company’s core offerings include fiber distribution hubs, enclosures, splice trays, patching panels and connectivity accessories designed to simplify installation and maintenance of fiber-optic networks. Clearfield’s modular FieldSmart™ platform provides a scalable approach for service providers, utilities and enterprise organizations looking to expand or upgrade their fiber infrastructure.

Clearfield serves a diverse customer base that includes cable and internet service providers, telecommunications operators, wireless carriers, utilities and municipalities.