Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC)

Sector: Technology Industry: Communication Equipment CIK: 0000913142
Market Cap 4.65 Bn
P/B 3.75
P/E 20.41
P/S 1.75
ROIC (Qtr) 10.05
Div Yield % 0.21
Rev 1y % (Qtr) 6.61
Total Debt (Qtr) 1.38 Bn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 1.11

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...

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Price action

Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Operating cash flow of 369.19M provides strong 13.15x coverage of stock compensation 28.07M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Operating cash flow of 369.19M fully covers other non-current liabilities 187.47M by 1.97x, showing strong long-term stability.
  • Cash reserves of 314.26M provide ample 54.73x coverage of acquisition spending 5.74M, enabling strategic growth opportunities.
  • Robust tangible asset base of 1.99B provides 3.18x coverage of working capital 627.88M, indicating strong operational backing.
  • Strong free cash flow of 213.82M provides 37.24x coverage of acquisition spending 5.74M, indicating disciplined M&A strategy.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 369.19M barely covers its investment activities of (149.63M), with a coverage ratio of -2.47, indicating heavy reliance on external financing for growth which may not be sustainable in a tighter credit environment.
  • Investment activities of (149.63M) provide weak support for R&D spending of 125.18M, which is -1.20x, suggesting potentially insufficient investment in innovation relative to other capital deployment.
  • Operating cash flow of 369.19M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (8.04M) with a -45.91 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Operating earnings of 295.09M show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 127.12M, with a 2.32 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.
  • Free cash flow of 213.82M represents just -43.12x of debt issuance (4.96M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.

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. 306.02 Bn 29.63 5.30 28.09 Bn
2 MSI Motorola Solutions, Inc. 63.92 Bn 30.21 5.65 9.81 Bn
3 HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co 35.43 Bn -600.50 1.03 22.37 Bn
4 UI Ubiquiti Inc. 33.47 Bn 42.27 12.14 0.17 Bn
5 CIEN Ciena Corp 33.16 Bn 268.82 6.95 1.58 Bn
6 LITE Lumentum Holdings Inc. 25.28 Bn 224.75 13.73 3.28 Bn
7 ASTS AST SpaceMobile, Inc. 19.88 Bn -65.43 1,072.82 0.72 Bn
8 ZBRA Zebra Technologies Corp 12.46 Bn 24.33 2.37 2.32 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 1.66 2.22
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 15.50 10.78
EV to Debt EV to Debt 4.16 25.00
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 19.39 32.18
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 13.48 10.60
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 26.76 -3.32
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.23 1.17
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 2.15 27.87
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 3.75 5.35
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 20.41 2.67
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 28.36 0.91
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 3.50 -25.01
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.20 0.22
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 3.70 4.46
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 6.60 -12.93
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) -23.69 -73.93
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) -2.70 463.06
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 0.00 1.39
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 28.50 204.95
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 21.01 -1.04
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 21.76 238.24
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 21.03 173.82
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 30.37 8.68
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 1.15 20.80
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) 15.78 41.66
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.77 0.76
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.02 0.03
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.50 1.20
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 1.99 2.69
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 1.11 0.43
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 6.60 -12.93
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 6.60 -12.93
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 15.90 -40.66
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 11.09 -52.32
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 9.41 -59.46
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 38.20 39.35
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 8.60 -60.72