Natixis Advisors L.P. Grows Stock Position in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 572,052 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,313 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Amphenol were worth $56,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APH. Peoples Bank KS purchased a new stake in Amphenol in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Amphenol by 75.5% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Amphenol by 70.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Amphenol in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Amphenol in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Amphenol Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:APH traded up $1.65 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $122.65. 3,279,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,911,420. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $113.27 and its 200-day moving average is $100.73. Amphenol Co. has a 12-month low of $72.77 and a 12-month high of $123.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The electronics maker reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.07. Amphenol had a return on equity of 23.85% and a net margin of 15.87%. The business had revenue of $3.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Amphenol Co. will post 3.35 EPS for the current year.

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Amphenol’s payout ratio is 26.91%.

Amphenol announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 24th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the electronics maker to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Amphenol from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Amphenol from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Amphenol in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. 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 report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Amphenol from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Amphenol news, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Lance E. D’amico sold 15,000 shares of Amphenol stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total transaction of $1,571,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 25,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,692,075. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of Amphenol stock in a transaction dated 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 have sold a total of 135,000 shares of company stock worth $14,251,050 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Amphenol Company 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.