Bel Fuse (NASDAQ:BELFB) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Bel Fuse Inc. (NASDAQ:BELFB)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $263.30 and last traded at $262.68, with a volume of 152375 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $257.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BELFB shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Bel Fuse from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Bel Fuse from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Bel Fuse from $212.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Northland Securities set a $266.00 target price on shares of Bel Fuse in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Bel Fuse from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Bel Fuse currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $216.50.

Bel Fuse Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $220.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.53. The stock has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 53.50, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Bel Fuse Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Bel Fuse’s payout ratio is presently 5.70%.

Insider Transactions at Bel Fuse

In other Bel Fuse news, Director Peter E. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the director owned 15,047 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,592,471.25. The trade was a 23.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Farouq Salem Ali Tuweiq sold 33,967 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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. 5.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bel Fuse

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BELFB. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 74.3% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 834,261 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $141,517,000 after acquiring an additional 355,563 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bel Fuse during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,680,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 74.3% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 410,487 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $69,631,000 after buying an additional 174,969 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 519,005 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $88,039,000 after buying an additional 161,736 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Bel Fuse by 1,345.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 143,361 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $24,318,000 after buying an additional 133,446 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.39% of the company’s stock.

About Bel Fuse

Bel Fuse Inc is a global manufacturer of electronic components that bridge power, data and video applications. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of products, including board-level circuit protection devices such as fuses, positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistors and inductors; power transformers, modules and supplies; as well as connectivity solutions encompassing USB, HDMI, RJ45, coaxial and fiber-optic connectors. These products serve a wide array of end markets, including telecommunications, data communications, consumer electronics, industrial automation, automotive and renewable energy.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Oradell, New Jersey, Bel Fuse has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.