Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) Short Interest Up 19.3% in February

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 25,927 shares, an increase of 19.3% from the February 12th total of 21,729 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 40,313 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 40,313 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Bel Fuse Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BELFA opened at $188.98 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 40.64 and a beta of 1.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $192.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.93. Bel Fuse has a twelve month low of $53.95 and a twelve month high of $227.42.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.78. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $175.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $172.01 million.

Bel Fuse Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Bel Fuse’s payout ratio is presently 5.16%.

Insider Transactions at Bel Fuse

In other Bel Fuse news, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of Bel Fuse stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.75, for a total value of $1,074,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,592,471.25. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.00, for a total transaction of $7,948,278.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bel Fuse

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hound Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse in the fourth quarter worth $5,714,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Bel Fuse in the 3rd quarter worth $1,628,000. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Bel Fuse by 434.9% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 13,336 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 10,843 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Bel Fuse by 314.2% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 12,729 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $1,932,000 after buying an additional 9,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nitor Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Bel Fuse in the 4th quarter worth $1,063,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BELFA shares. Robert W. Baird set a $250.00 price objective on Bel Fuse in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bel Fuse from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Bel Fuse presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $182.50.

About Bel Fuse

Bel Fuse Inc, incorporated in 1949 and headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, designs and manufactures a broad range of electronic components aimed at ensuring reliable power delivery, circuit protection and signal connectivity. The company operates through two primary segments—Power Solutions Group and Telecom Products Group—serving original equipment manufacturers in multiple end markets, including telecommunications, data communications, consumer electronics, industrial and transportation.

Within its Power Solutions Group, Bel Fuse offers magnetic components such as power and signal transformers, inductors and coils, as well as circuit protection devices including fuses and resettable polyfuses.