TE Connectivity (NYSE:TEL) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of TE Connectivity (NYSE:TEL) in a research note released on Tuesday morning. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the electronics maker’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of TE Connectivity from $159.00 to $158.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on TE Connectivity in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They set a buy rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on TE Connectivity from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of TE Connectivity in a research note on Friday, January 5th. They issued a neutral rating and a $146.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of TE Connectivity from $170.00 to $169.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, TE Connectivity presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $153.50.

TE Connectivity Stock Performance

NYSE TEL opened at $142.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.36. TE Connectivity has a twelve month low of $115.00 and a twelve month high of $147.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

TE Connectivity (NYSE:TEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The electronics maker reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. TE Connectivity had a return on equity of 18.80% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company had revenue of $3.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that TE Connectivity will post 7.51 EPS for the current year.

TE Connectivity Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. TE Connectivity’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark Trudeau sold 7,044 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.49, for a total transaction of $996,655.56. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,917 shares in the company, valued at $837,196.33. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TE Connectivity

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TEL. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of TE Connectivity by 97.8% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 184 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its position in TE Connectivity by 112.4% during the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 189 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of TE Connectivity by 358.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 243 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of TE Connectivity during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. raised its position in TE Connectivity by 103.6% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 224 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. 91.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About TE Connectivity

TE Connectivity Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells connectivity and sensor solutions in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the AsiaPacific, and the Americas. The company operates through three segments: Transportation Solutions, Industrial Solutions, and Communications Solutions.