Belden (NYSE:BDC – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The industrial products company reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26, FiscalAI reports. Belden had a return on equity of 25.06% and a net margin of 5.62%. The company had revenue of $965.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.91 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.97 earnings per share. Belden’s revenue was up 38.3% on a year-over-year basis.
Here are the key takeaways from Belden’s conference call:
- Record third-quarter performance: Revenue reached $966 million, up 38% year over year, while adjusted EPS rose 15% to $2.26. Orders exceeded $1 billion for the first time, up 46% year over year, with a 1.05 book-to-bill ratio.
- AI data-center momentum accelerated: Belden signed a $100 million 2027 fiber-solutions contract, lifting its expected 2027 data-center business to approximately $275 million from the previously announced $175 million run rate. Management said supply and capacity are secured for that outlook.
- Ruckus shipments were constrained by component shortages: Although Ruckus orders rose 10% and demand for Wi-Fi 7 and multi-gigabit switches remained strong, revenue fell 6% to $168 million as chipset availability and extended lead times delayed shipments. Management expects phased improvement into 2027 but acknowledged an estimated $10 million-$15 million of quarterly revenue was deferred or missed.
- Core markets and integration trends remained favorable: Automation and Smart Buildings delivered double-digit organic growth, with orders in both categories up roughly 30%. Belden also cited growing cross-selling opportunities between its legacy portfolio and Ruckus across industrial, campus, healthcare, and data-center customers.
- Fourth-quarter outlook and deleveraging plan were maintained: Belden expects fourth-quarter revenue of $960 million-$980 million and adjusted EPS of $2.20-$2.35, implying 14%-16% full-year adjusted EPS growth. Free cash flow of $82 million in the quarter supports management’s plan to reduce net leverage from 3.9 times currently to approximately 2.9 times or less by the end of 2027.
Belden Price Performance
Shares of NYSE BDC traded down $1.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $105.84. The stock had a trading volume of 637,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 350,470. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 1.82. Belden has a 12-month low of $96.06 and a 12-month high of $159.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.43 and a 200-day moving average of $118.19. The company has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.13.
Belden Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 16th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. Belden’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.49%.
Key Belden News
Here are the key news stories impacting Belden this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Belden reported record third-quarter revenue of $965.95 million, up 38.3% year over year and above analysts’ $961.91 million estimate. Adjusted EPS of $2.26 matched consensus expectations. Belden Q3 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Issues Q4 Outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Orders reached a record $1.017 billion, up 46% year over year, producing a 1.05x book-to-bill ratio. Organic orders increased 16%, indicating demand is outpacing recognized sales and could support future growth. Belden Reports Record Third Quarter 2026 Results
- Positive Sentiment: The company agreed to supply approximately $100 million of fiber solutions to a major U.S. data-center customer in 2027. Management also highlighted accelerating AI data-center demand, strengthening the growth narrative for Belden’s networking products. Belden Earnings Call Highlights AI Data Center Surge
- Neutral Sentiment: Belden forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $960 million to $980 million and adjusted EPS of $2.20 to $2.35. The outlook signals continued solid demand, although the adjusted EPS range is below the latest quarterly result. Belden Q4 Adjusted EPS Outlook
- Negative Sentiment: GAAP results showed a net loss of $11.4 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, versus $56.7 million of net income and $1.41 EPS a year earlier. The loss included non-cash purchase-accounting charges, but the unfavorable headline result may explain the stock’s decline despite strong adjusted performance. Belden Revenue Hits Record $966 Million
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on BDC shares. Fox Advisors upgraded Belden from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (down from $155.00) on shares of Belden in a report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research lowered Belden from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Belden from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Belden from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Belden currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.00.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on BDC
Belden Company Profile
Belden Inc (NYSE: BDC) is a global provider of signal transmission and networking solutions. The company designs and manufactures products that support the secure movement of data, audio and video across enterprise, industrial and broadcast environments.
Its product portfolio includes copper and fiber-optic cable, connectors, patching and rack systems, industrial Ethernet equipment, network infrastructure, cybersecurity and software-enabled solutions. Belden’s offerings are used in applications such as industrial automation, transportation, energy, enterprise networking, data centers, smart buildings and professional broadcasting.
Founded in 1902, Belden serves customers through operations and distribution channels spanning North America, Europe, Asia and other international markets.
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