Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,337,054 shares, an increase of 26.8% from the March 15th total of 1,054,667 shares. Approximately 11.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 132,938 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.1 days.

Clearfield Trading Up 7.7%

NASDAQ:CLFD traded up $2.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $29.96. The company had a trading volume of 3,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,950. Clearfield has a 1 year low of $23.76 and a 1 year high of $46.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $409.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -61.44 and a beta of 2.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.98.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $34.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.77 million. Clearfield had a positive return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 3.93%.Clearfield has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.100–0.020 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Clearfield will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on CLFD shares. Zacks Research downgraded Clearfield from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Clearfield in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Clearfield presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Clearfield news, Director Donald R. Hayward sold 3,595 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $115,040.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,870 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $347,840. This trade represents a 24.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clearfield

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Clearfield by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,222 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Clearfield by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 8,825 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in Clearfield by 4.8% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 12,207 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Clearfield by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,618 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drum Hill Capital LLC increased its holdings in Clearfield by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Drum Hill Capital LLC now owns 49,912 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $1,455,000 after purchasing an additional 713 shares during the last quarter. 88.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Clearfield

Clearfield, Inc (NASDAQ: CLFD) is a Minneapolis-based company specializing in fiber management products for broadband network deployments. The company’s core offerings include fiber distribution hubs, enclosures, splice trays, patching panels and connectivity accessories designed to simplify installation and maintenance of fiber-optic networks. Clearfield’s modular FieldSmart™ platform provides a scalable approach for service providers, utilities and enterprise organizations looking to expand or upgrade their fiber infrastructure.

Clearfield serves a diverse customer base that includes cable and internet service providers, telecommunications operators, wireless carriers, utilities and municipalities.