Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC)

Sector: Technology Industry: Communication Equipment CIK: 0000913142
Market Cap 5.80 Bn
P/B 4.58
P/E 24.40
P/S 2.13
ROIC (Qtr) 11.03
Div Yield % 0.14
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 8.12
Total Debt (Qtr) 1.38 Bn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 1.09
Add ratio to table...

About

Belden Inc., a prominent player in the network infrastructure and digitization solutions industry, operates under two segments: Enterprise Solutions and Industrial Automation Solutions. The company's mission is to construct the foundation for a digital world, offering innovative solutions that connect people, facilities, and devices. Belden is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BDC. Belden's Enterprise Solutions segment is a leading provider of network infrastructure and broadband solutions, primarily catering...

Read more

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Operating cash flow of 354.86M provides strong 11.82x coverage of stock compensation 30.02M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 218.69M exceeds capital expenditure of 136.17M by 1.61x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.
  • Operating cash flow of 354.86M fully covers other non-current liabilities 201.66M by 1.76x, showing strong long-term stability.
  • Cash reserves of 389.89M provide ample 49.14x coverage of acquisition spending 7.93M, enabling strategic growth opportunities.
  • Robust tangible asset base of 2.11B provides 3.23x coverage of working capital 651.88M, indicating strong operational backing.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 354.86M barely covers its investment activities of (128.24M), with a coverage ratio of -2.77, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Operating cash flow of 354.86M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (7.97M) with a -44.55 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Investment activities of (128.24M) provide weak support for R&D spending of 128.76M, which is -1x, suggesting potentially insufficient investment in innovation relative to other capital deployment.
  • Operating earnings of 313.22M show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 129.43M, with a 2.42 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.
  • Free cash flow of 218.69M represents just -43.48x of debt issuance (5.03M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Communication Equipment
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc. 305.09 Bn 27.54 5.17 30.09 Bn
2 MSI Motorola Solutions, Inc. 76.26 Bn 35.40 6.53 9.63 Bn
3 CIEN Ciena Corp 42.86 Bn 347.51 8.99 1.58 Bn
4 UI Ubiquiti Inc. 42.08 Bn 47.35 14.16 0.11 Bn
5 LITE Lumentum Holdings Inc. 41.73 Bn 165.86 19.82 3.32 Bn
6 HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co 28.79 Bn 7.76 1.03 22.37 Bn
7 ASTS AST SpaceMobile, Inc. 22.73 Bn -74.80 1,226.44 0.72 Bn
8 ZBRA Zebra Technologies Corp 13.26 Bn 31.65 2.46 2.66 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 1.94 2.66
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 19.33 14.95
EV to Debt EV to Debt 4.97 37.29
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 21.90 201.55
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 15.41 9.12
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 31.36 66.04
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.18 1.10
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 2.53 32.52
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 4.58 6.31
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 24.40 12.21
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 29.82 0.64
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 3.30 -19.58
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.20 0.23
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 3.62 5.02
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 6.76 -10.88
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -5.48 -65.39
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) 5.29 457.29
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 0.00 1.57
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 20.28 67.92
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 16.46 -9.76
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 17.64 67.42
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 17.07 -72.72
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 22.95 5.66
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) -1.92 -2.41
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 11.81 36.14
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.77 0.75
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.02 0.03
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.56 1.34
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 1.94 2.99
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 1.09 0.46
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 6.76 -10.88
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 6.76 -10.88
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 16.30 -41.18
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 11.54 -52.62
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 9.83 -59.46
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 38.00 38.53
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 8.70 -60.82