Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Trims Holdings in Clearfield, Inc. $CLFD

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC trimmed its holdings in Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,809 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 18,697 shares during the quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC’s holdings in Clearfield were worth $1,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Clearfield by 116.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,882 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Clearfield in the 1st quarter worth approximately $131,000. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Clearfield in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $220,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Clearfield in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $222,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Clearfield during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Institutional investors own 88.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on CLFD shares. Roth Capital dropped their target price on Clearfield from $50.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Northland Securities raised Clearfield from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Clearfield from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Northland Capmk raised shares of Clearfield from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Clearfield in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clearfield presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Clearfield Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CLFD opened at $30.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $417.55 million, a P/E ratio of -52.02 and a beta of 1.87. Clearfield, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.78 and a 1 year high of $46.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $31.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.32.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 25th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.04. Clearfield had a positive return on equity of 1.07% and a negative net margin of 4.65%.The company had revenue of $17.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.55 million. Clearfield has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.080-0.000 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Clearfield, Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Clearfield announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $85.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the communications equipment provider to purchase up to 22% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Clearfield

In related news, Chairman Ronald G. Roth acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $30.06 per share, with a total value of $300,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chairman directly owned 1,279,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,454,675.84. This trade represents a 0.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Clearfield Company Profile

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.