Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB) Short Interest Update

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 307,000 shares, an increase of 5.2% from the November 30th total of 291,800 shares. Currently, 3.0% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 68,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Insider Activity at Bel Fuse

In other news, VP Joseph Francis Berry sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.30, for a total value of $80,300.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,246.90. This represents a 11.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephen Dawson sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.65, for a total value of $116,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,832 shares in the company, valued at $1,151,704.80. This trade represents a 9.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bel Fuse

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bel Fuse during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Bel Fuse during the third quarter worth $39,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Bel Fuse by 10.0% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,197 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bel Fuse in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, One Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bel Fuse during the 3rd quarter worth $227,000. 58.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bel Fuse Price Performance

Shares of Bel Fuse stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.47. 50,416 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 88,369. The company has a quick ratio of 2.71, a current ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business has a 50-day moving average of $80.60 and a 200 day moving average of $73.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92 and a beta of 1.33. Bel Fuse has a fifty-two week low of $45.74 and a fifty-two week high of $92.61.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Bel Fuse's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BELFB. Northland Securities upped their price objective on shares of Bel Fuse from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Bel Fuse from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 2nd. Northland Capmk raised Bel Fuse from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Bel Fuse from $79.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bel Fuse currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $98.33.

About Bel Fuse

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.