Brokerages Set Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) Price Target at $43.50

Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $43.50.

CLFD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of Clearfield from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Clearfield from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research raised Clearfield from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Lake Street Capital dropped their target price on Clearfield from $52.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Clearfield in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th.

Clearfield Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CLFD opened at $32.34 on Friday. Clearfield has a 1-year low of $23.78 and a 1-year high of $46.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $447.59 million, a P/E ratio of -55.76 and a beta of 1.88.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $17.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.55 million. Clearfield had a negative net margin of 4.65% and a positive return on equity of 1.07%. Clearfield has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.080-0.000 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Clearfield will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clearfield declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $85.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the communications equipment provider to reacquire up to 22% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Ronald G. Roth bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.06 per share, with a total value of $300,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 1,279,264 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 17.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clearfield

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Clearfield by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,222 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 4.8% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 12,207 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in Clearfield by 5.7% in the second quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 11,895 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $516,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Clearfield by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,027 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $482,000 after buying an additional 834 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Clearfield by 116.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,882 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,012 shares during the period. 88.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Clearfield

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.