Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,502,671 shares, an increase of 59.3% from the February 26th total of 943,192 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 422,923 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Belden

In other Belden news, CAO Doug Zink sold 1,452 shares of Belden stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.96, for a total transaction of $194,509.92. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $621,842.32. The trade was a 23.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Leah Tate sold 2,954 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $384,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 24,881 shares in the company, valued at $3,234,530. This trade represents a 10.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,891 shares of company stock valued at $639,640. 1.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Belden

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Belden by 12,950.0% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 261 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Belden by 134.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Belden by 234.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 331 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in Belden in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Belden during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. 98.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Belden Trading Down 1.0%

BDC stock traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $112.86. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 226,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 381,904. The company has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $128.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Belden has a 12 month low of $83.18 and a 12 month high of $159.99.

Belden (NYSE:BDC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $720.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $696.97 million. Belden had a return on equity of 24.43% and a net margin of 8.75%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.92 EPS. Belden has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.650-1.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Belden will post 7.07 EPS for the current year.

Belden Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. Belden’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on BDC shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Belden from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Belden from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Belden from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Belden from $149.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Belden has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $148.33.

Belden Company Profile

Belden, formerly Belden Inc (NYSE:BDC), was a global provider of signal transmission solutions for demanding applications. The company produced a wide range of copper and fiber optic cables, connectors, patch panels, cable assemblies, and surge protection devices. Its portfolio extended into networking and security hardware, including managed switches, industrial routers, and software tools for remote monitoring and network management.

Founded in 1902 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Belden built its reputation on delivering high‐performance, reliable products for harsh environments.