Principal Financial Group Inc. Invests $799,000 in Clearfield, Inc. $CLFD

Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 23,252 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $799,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CLFD. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Clearfield by 116.3% during 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 acquired a new stake in Clearfield in the 1st quarter valued at $131,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Clearfield by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,222 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Clearfield during the second quarter worth $220,000. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Clearfield in the second quarter valued at $222,000. Institutional investors own 88.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clearfield

In other Clearfield news, Chairman Ronald G. Roth acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.06 per share, for a total transaction of $300,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 1,279,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,454,675.84. This represents a 0.79% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.80% of the company’s stock.

Clearfield Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ CLFD opened at $31.87 on Thursday. Clearfield, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.78 and a 1-year high of $46.76. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.31. The firm has a market cap of $436.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -65.04 and a beta of 1.94.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.02. Clearfield had a negative net margin of 3.93% and a positive return on equity of 1.72%. The firm had revenue of $34.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.77 million. Clearfield has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.100–0.020 EPS. Analysts forecast that Clearfield, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CLFD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Lake Street Capital lowered their target price on shares of Clearfield from $52.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Zacks Research downgraded Clearfield from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm cut their target price on Clearfield from $50.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. 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 report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Clearfield from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

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.