Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Clearfield, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLFD) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,629,887 shares, a growth of 21.9% from the March 31st total of 1,337,054 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 180,131 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.0 days. Approximately 14.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on CLFD shares. Zacks Research downgraded Clearfield from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Clearfield in a report on Monday, April 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Clearfield presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.50.

Clearfield Stock Up 1.9%

CLFD traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $29.43. The company had a trading volume of 108,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 134,641. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.60. The company has a market cap of $402.90 million, a P/E ratio of -60.06 and a beta of 2.00. Clearfield has a 1 year low of $23.76 and a 1 year high of $46.76.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The communications equipment provider reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $34.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.77 million. Clearfield had a positive return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 3.93%.Clearfield has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.480-0.620 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.100–0.020 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Clearfield will post 0.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Donald R. Hayward sold 3,595 shares of Clearfield stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $115,040.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 10,870 shares in the company, valued at $347,840. The trade was a 24.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Clearfield

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CLFD. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC boosted its holdings in Clearfield by 1,705.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC now owns 479,741 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $16,493,000 after acquiring an additional 453,173 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Clearfield by 445.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 179,640 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,176,000 after acquiring an additional 146,690 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Clearfield by 286.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 156,014 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,364,000 after acquiring an additional 115,626 shares during the period. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Clearfield by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 262,610 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,029,000 after acquiring an additional 85,610 shares during the period. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Clearfield during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,307,000. 88.73% of the stock is currently owned by 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.