Amphenol (NYSE:APH) Shares Gap Up to $114.26

Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $114.26, but opened at $119.19. Amphenol shares last traded at $117.73, with a volume of 1,518,417 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on APH shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Amphenol in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Amphenol from $118.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Amphenol from $117.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Amphenol from $107.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $113.75.

Amphenol Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $69.87 billion, a PE ratio of 36.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $111.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.18.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The electronics maker reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.16 billion. Amphenol had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 23.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Amphenol Co. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 19th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Amphenol’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William J. Doherty sold 170,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.50, for a total value of $17,595,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Craig A. Lampo sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.67, for a total value of $10,467,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 147,045 shares in the company, valued at $15,391,200.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider William J. Doherty sold 170,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.50, for a total transaction of $17,595,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 305,000 shares of company stock worth $31,846,050 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amphenol

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 1,970.0% during the 3rd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 828 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Amphenol by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 50,827 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $4,163,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Amphenol by 37.8% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 13,366 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 3,665 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 0.6% in the third quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 81,393 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $6,836,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its stake in shares of Amphenol by 4.7% during the third quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 24,205 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 1,080 shares during the period. 97.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Amphenol

Amphenol Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, primarily designs, manufactures, and markets electrical, electronic, and fiber optic connectors in the United States, China, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Harsh Environment Solutions, Communications Solutions, and Interconnect and Sensor Systems.