Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Position in Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 322,378 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 48,730 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Clearfield were worth $9,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Clearfield in the 4th quarter worth about $74,000. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 261.4% during the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 4,879 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 3,529 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Clearfield by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,297 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Clearfield in the fourth quarter worth $233,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,720 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. 88.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CLFD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Clearfield from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Clearfield in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clearfield has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.75.

Insider Activity at Clearfield

In other news, COO John P. Hill sold 16,539 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.26, for a total value of $550,087.14. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 189,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,315,608.36. This represents a 8.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 17.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Clearfield Price Performance

Clearfield stock opened at $34.31 on Friday. Clearfield, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.78 and a 52-week high of $44.83. The company has a quick ratio of 7.41, a current ratio of 10.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $28.88 and its 200 day moving average is $31.90. The company has a market cap of $484.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -54.46 and a beta of 1.61.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.28. The company had revenue of $47.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.53 million. Clearfield had a negative return on equity of 3.31% and a negative net margin of 5.41%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Clearfield, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clearfield Company Profile

Clearfield, Inc manufactures and sells various fiber connectivity products in the United States and internationally. The company offers FieldSmart, a series of panels, cabinets, wall boxes, and other enclosures; WaveSmart, an optical components integrated for signal coupling, splitting, termination, multiplexing, demultiplexing, and attenuation for integration within its fiber management platform; and active cabinet products.