Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC Invests $315,000 in Belden Inc. (NYSE:BDC)

Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Belden Inc. (NYSE:BDC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $315,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in Belden during the fourth quarter worth about $427,000. Polen Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Belden during the fourth quarter worth about $2,723,000. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in Belden by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 80,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,031,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Belden by 169.6% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 146,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $16,477,000 after purchasing an additional 92,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Belden by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,261 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,975 shares during the last quarter. 98.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Belden Stock Up 1.6 %

BDC opened at $103.00 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41 and a beta of 1.02. Belden Inc. has a twelve month low of $80.90 and a twelve month high of $131.82. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $112.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.85.

Belden (NYSE:BDC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.24. Belden had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 21.42%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Belden Inc. will post 7.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Belden Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Belden’s payout ratio is currently 4.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BDC has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Belden from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Belden in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Belden from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Belden currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $130.25.

Insider Activity at Belden

In related news, Director Gregory James Mccray sold 4,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.21, for a total transaction of $441,882.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $441,776.79. This represents a 50.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ashish Chand sold 14,535 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.45, for a total transaction of $1,619,925.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,129 shares in the company, valued at $11,939,527.05. This trade represents a 11.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,428 shares of company stock worth $2,589,774. 1.59% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Belden Company Profile

Belden Inc designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of signal transmission solutions for mission critical applications in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates in two segments, Enterprise Solutions and Industrial Automation Solutions. The Enterprise Solutions segment offers copper cable and connectivity solutions, fiber cable and connectivity solutions, interconnect panels, racks and enclosures, and signal extension and matrix switching systems for use in applications, such as local area networks, data centers, access control, 5G, fiber to the home, and building automation.