The Filing Desk

Belden

BDC · NYSE · Information Technology · Financials, fiscal 2016 to 2025

BDC · Last close · October 26, 2026
$102.99
Value Belden yourself

Belden's revenue rose 10.3% to $2.7 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 11.6%, up from 10.8% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $219 million, down 1.9%. It paid out $8 million in dividends and buybacks, 4% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 2.6%.

BELDEN INC. Latest fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 10-K filed February 17, 2026 · 0000913142-26-000009 Updated
Revenue
$2.7B
10.3%
Operating margin
11.6%
0.8 pts
Net income
$238M
19.7%
Free cash flow
$219M
1.9%
Return on capital
13.3%
1.2 pts
Market cap
$4.0B
Oct 26 close
P/E
16.7x
On $6.15 EPS, 4 qtrs

Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.

Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.

Revenue and margins

Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Margins
Percent of revenue
GrossOperatingNetFree cash flow

Net income and earnings per share

From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 9.3% a year and net income 7.1% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 6%.

Net income
US$ billions, fiscal years; loss years in red.
Diluted earnings per share
US$ per share, fiscal years, restated for any stock splits; loss years in red.

Returns on capital

Return on capital and on equity
Percent. Return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business (debt plus equity, minus cash); return on equity is net income over shareholders' equity. Both use the average of opening and closing balances.
Return on capitalReturn on equity

Cash flow

Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure; negative years in red.

Payouts and share count

Dividends and buybacks
US$ billions, cash paid in each fiscal year
DividendsShare buybacks
Diluted share count
Weighted-average diluted shares, millions

Valuation

Two ways to value Belden yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.

Discounted cash flow (DCF)

A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Belden's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Belden's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $219M, net cash of −$906M at December 31, 2025 and 40 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Belden: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 1.4% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 11%: 9% for a business of moderate risk (Electronic Components), plus 1 point as a smaller company, worth $4.0B, plus 1 point for unsteady results (revenue fell in two of the last five years); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

From the filings
Cash from operations minus capital spending in fiscal 2025.
Cash and short-term investments minus debt and finance leases at December 31, 2025. Negative means net debt.
Weighted-average diluted shares in fiscal 2025.
Your assumptions
Start from
Fitted to Belden's own revenue growth, as above. Cautious: growth of -0.5% then 1% a year, 2% after year 10, a 12% discount rate. Base: growth of 1.5% then 2% a year, 2.5% after year 10, a 11% discount rate. Optimistic: growth of 3.5% then 3% a year, 3% after year 10, a 10% discount rate.
Long-run growth forever after year 10. Usually close to inflation, and always below the discount rate.
The yearly return an investor wants for the risk. A higher rate gives a lower value.
Value per share on these assumptions
—
—
Last close, October 26, 2026
$102.99
Value on these assumptions, against the last close
—

Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
—
Everything after year 10, valued today
—
Plus net cash
—
Share of value from after year 10
—
Projected free cash flow
US$ billions. Each column is one year's projected free cash flow, split into what it is worth today and the part removed by discounting.
Value todayRemoved by discounting

How the value changes with two assumptions

Value per share in US$, with the growth rates above. The highlighted cell matches the current assumptions.
How the model works. Free cash flow grows at the first rate for five years and the second rate for five more, and each year is discounted at the discount rate. Everything after year 10 is valued as year-10 cash flow × (1 + growth after year 10) ÷ (discount rate − growth after year 10), discounted back ten years. Net cash is added and the total is divided by diluted shares. The result depends entirely on the assumptions. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation. The last close is the consolidated US closing price, from Databento.

Price-to-earnings (P/E) method

Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.

Careful. Belden's P/E today, 16.7×, is less than half the example multiple. A gap that wide usually means one of two things: its latest earnings include large one-off items, such as a tax benefit or a gain on a sale, or investors expect its earnings to fall. Either way the examples can mislead, so they aren't set against the share price. Check the earnings in its latest filings before using them.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Belden's earnings per share of $6.15 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 34×, the middle of Belden's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (the Information Technology median) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 12%, 11% and 10%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

Diluted earnings per share over the four quarters to June 28, 2026, from the 10-Qs and 10-K.
P/E today is the last close divided by the latest earnings per share, the four quarters' where available. Peers: Vishay Intertechnology, Coherent, Corning.
Starts at Belden's revenue growth over the last 3 years, 1.4% a year, as the base scenario does.
Earnings per share in the years ahead, US$
Type your own estimate for any year; the years after it carry on at the growth rate.
Apply the multiple to earnings
A multiple on a future year's earnings gives the price then, brought back to today at the discount rate below.
The yearly return an investor wants for the risk, as in the cash flow model.
Value per share today at this multiple
—
—
Last close, October 26, 2026
$102.99
Value at this multiple, against the last close
—
Belden's P/E at the last close
16.7×
CompanyLast closeEarnings per shareP/E today
Vishay IntertechnologyVSH$26.71$0.18148.4×
CorningGLW$127.74$2.1958.3×
CoherentCOHR$221.50$4.1253.8×
BeldenBDC$102.99$6.1516.7×
How the P/E method works. Value per share is earnings per share times the multiple. On a future year's earnings, that gives the price in that year, which is brought back to today at the discount rate: price ÷ (1 + discount rate) for each year ahead. It is quick and easy to compare across companies, but it ignores debt and cash, and earnings can swing with one-off gains and charges, so a multiple says most about steady, profitable businesses. Like the cash flow model, the result depends entirely on the assumptions you choose. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation.

Balance sheet

Fiscal year endFY21FY22FY23FY24FY25
Cash and short-term investments642688597370390
Debt incl. finance leases1,4601,1681,2111,1411,296
Net debt (negative means net cash)819480614770906
Net debt to EBITDA2.3x1.1x1.5x2.0x2.0x
Debt to equity1.5x1.0x1.0x0.9x1.0x
Interest coverage4.9x8.0x7.5x6.3x7.3x
Current ratio2.5x2.4x2.3x1.9x1.9x
Quick ratio2.0x1.9x1.7x1.4x1.4x
US$ millions unless stated, at each fiscal year end. Net debt to EBITDA is debt minus cash, divided by operating income before depreciation and amortization: roughly how many years of those earnings the net debt equals. Debt to equity is debt as a multiple of shareholders' equity. Interest coverage is operating income divided by interest expense. The current ratio is current assets over current liabilities; the quick ratio leaves out inventory.

Insider trades

Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, no insider bought Belden shares on the open market, and 5 insiders sold $2.9 million, $2.6 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.

DateInsiderTradeSharesPriceValueFiling
Sep 15, 2026Brian LieserEVP - Chief Comm. OfficerSold plan1,900$114.39$217,341Form 4
Apr 14, 2026Brian LieserEVP - Chief Comm. OfficerSold plan2,719$130.69$355,346Form 4
Feb 6, 2026Doug ZinkVP and CAOSold plan1,452$133.96$194,510Form 4
Feb 5, 2026Doug ZinkVP and CAOSold plan485$126.00$61,110Form 4
Feb 4, 2026Leah TateSVP - HRSold plan2,954$130.00$384,020Form 4
Dec 11, 2025Jonathan C KleinDirectorSold3,000$124.19$372,570Form 4
Dec 9, 2025Doug ZinkVP and CAOSold plan4,000$125.00$500,000Form 4
Dec 5, 2025Hiran BhadraSVP, Strategy & TechnologySold plan1,600$120.00$192,000Form 4
Dec 5, 2025Brian LieserEVP, SolutionsSold plan1,270$120.00$152,400Form 4
Dec 3, 2025Leah TateSVP - HRSold plan2,554$120.00$306,480Form 4
Dec 2, 2025Brian LieserEVP, SolutionsSold plan1,713$114.13$195,505Form 4
Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from their Form 4 filings with the SEC: one row per person, day and filing, at the day's average price. Grants, option exercises and shares withheld for tax aren't counted. Insiders buy and sell for many reasons, such as taxes, spreading their savings or a plan set up months earlier, so a trade on its own says little about where a company is heading. For information only, not investment advice. Insider trades at all companies

Piotroski F-score

The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.

TestFY23FY24FY25
Net income is positivePassPassPass
Cash from operations is positivePassPassPass
Return on assets rosePassFailPass
Cash from operations exceeds net incomePassPassPass
Debt fell relative to assetsFailPassFail
Current ratio roseFailFailPass
Share count didn't risePassPassPass
Gross margin rosePassFailPass
Revenue rose relative to assetsPassFailPass
F-score7 of 95 of 98 of 9
Accruals ratio−2.4%−4.7%−3.4%
The accruals ratio is net income minus cash from operations, over average total assets.

Compare

Put Belden side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.

Similar companies

CompanyYearRevenue growthOperating marginFree cash flow marginReturn on capitalNet debt to EBITDAF-scoreCompare
BeldenFY2510.3%11.6%8.1%13.3%2.0x8
Vishay IntertechnologyFY254.5%1.9%−2.9%1.2%1.6x5Compare
LittelfuseFY258.9%1.6%15.3%0.7%1.4x6Compare
CoherentFY2622.5%—−14.4%9.1%0.8x7Compare
CorningFY2519.1%14.6%9.0%10.8%1.9x6Compare
Each company's latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so the periods don't line up exactly. Free cash flow margin is free cash flow as a share of revenue. Net debt to EBITDA is explained under the balance sheet, and the F-score above.

10 years of figures

Fiscal yearFY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25
Income statement
Revenue2,3572,0872,1662,1311,7522,3012,6062,5122,4612,715
Revenue growth2.0%−11.4%3.8%−1.6%−17.8%31.3%13.3%−3.6%−2.0%10.3%
Gross profit9818028307945767729169559221,031
Research and development1408992947390104116112129
Operating income232234314207150264363318266316
Net income12893161−377−5564255243198238
Diluted EPS (US$)2.651.373.08−9.37−1.231.415.725.664.805.91
Diluted shares (millions)43434142454544434140
Cash flow
Cash from operations315255289277173272281320352355
Capital expenditure5464981109091105117129136
Free cash flow26119119116783181176203223219
Dividends paid16434334999888
Share buybacks02500000000
Acquisitions1916785741731051072968
Stock-based compensation18151818202524212830
Balance sheet at fiscal year end
Cash and short-term investments848541408408501642688597370390
Debt incl. finance leases1,6201,5611,4631,4401,5741,4601,1681,2111,1411,296
Total assets3,8073,8413,7793,4073,1403,4183,1623,2403,3283,544
Total liabilities2,3462,4062,3922,4412,3832,4622,0182,0742,0332,279
Shareholders' equity1,4601,4341,3879607519551,1431,1661,2951,264
Margins and ratios
Gross margin41.6%38.4%38.3%37.2%32.9%33.5%35.1%38.0%37.5%38.0%
Operating margin9.8%11.2%14.5%9.7%8.6%11.5%13.9%12.6%10.8%11.6%
Net margin5.4%4.5%7.4%−17.7%−3.1%2.8%9.8%9.7%8.1%8.8%
Free cash flow margin11.1%9.2%8.8%7.8%4.8%7.9%6.8%8.1%9.1%8.1%
Return on capital10.2%10.0%9.3%6.7%6.1%12.8%18.0%15.8%12.1%13.3%
Return on equity11.2%6.4%11.4%−32.1%−6.5%7.5%24.3%21.0%16.1%18.6%
Return on assets3.6%2.4%4.2%−10.5%−1.7%1.9%7.7%7.6%6.0%6.9%
Net debt to EBITDA2.0x2.7x2.3x3.0x4.2x2.3x1.1x1.5x2.0x2.0x
US$ millions unless stated. Where a later 10-K restated a year, the latest filed figure is shown. Download all figures (CSV, US$ millions)
Source: Belden's Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR. For information only, not investment advice. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with Belden.