Short Interest in Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) Declines By 15.0%

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFA) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 33,500 shares, a decrease of 15.0% from the March 15th total of 39,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 8,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Bel Fuse Stock Performance

Bel Fuse stock traded down $2.78 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $63.44. 6,261 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,228. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 2.92 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Bel Fuse has a fifty-two week low of $53.95 and a fifty-two week high of $106.93. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $73.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.16. The company has a market capitalization of $795.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53 and a beta of 0.99.

Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $149.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $126.41 million. Bel Fuse had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 18.61%.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. Bel Fuse’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bel Fuse

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Bel Fuse by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,079 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Bel Fuse by 41.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,648 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Bel Fuse by 41.5% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 2,613 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Bel Fuse by 278.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,311 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 1,701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Bel Fuse during the 4th quarter worth $337,000. 6.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Craig Hallum set a $115.00 price target on shares of Bel Fuse and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th.

Bel Fuse Company Profile

Bel Fuse Inc designs, manufactures, markets, and sells products that power, protect, and connect electronic circuits. The company's products are used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, general industrial, high-speed data transmission, military, commercial aerospace, transportation, and e-Mobility industries.