Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. Takes $173,000 Position in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Laurus Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,750 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $173,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. West Coast Financial LLC lifted its stake in Amphenol by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 128,911 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $12,779,000 after buying an additional 50,778 shares during the period. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in Amphenol in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,875,000. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Amphenol by 6.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 48,104,261 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $4,086,457,000 after buying an additional 2,752,517 shares during the period. Community Trust & Investment Co. lifted its stake in Amphenol by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 178,306 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $17,675,000 after buying an additional 41,754 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC lifted its stake in Amphenol by 200.3% in the third quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 211,194 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $17,738,000 after buying an additional 140,859 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on APH shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Amphenol from $107.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Amphenol from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Amphenol from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup assumed coverage on Amphenol in a report on Friday, January 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Amphenol from $97.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.40.

Amphenol Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APH opened at $115.30 on Thursday. Amphenol Co. has a 52 week low of $72.00 and a 52 week high of $119.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $106.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.17.

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

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 19th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Amphenol’s payout ratio is 28.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider William J. Doherty sold 170,000 shares of Amphenol stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.50, for a total transaction of $17,595,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider William J. Doherty sold 170,000 shares of Amphenol stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.50, for a total transaction of $17,595,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of Amphenol stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.64, for a total value of $2,212,800.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 305,000 shares of company stock valued at $31,846,050 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.22% of the company’s stock.

Amphenol Profile

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.