Donaldson Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Donaldson Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) by 9.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,921 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Amphenol were worth $222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APH. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Amphenol during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in shares of Amphenol during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Amphenol by 70.8% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Amphenol during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Amphenol Trading Up 1.2 %

Amphenol stock traded up $1.48 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $120.49. The stock had a trading volume of 4,172,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,505,085. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.48 billion, a PE ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a current ratio of 2.06. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $112.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.70. Amphenol Co. has a twelve month low of $72.77 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The electronics maker reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Amphenol Co. will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Amphenol announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 24th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the electronics maker to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Amphenol Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 19th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Amphenol’s payout ratio is 26.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Amphenol news, CFO Craig A. Lampo sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.67, for a total transaction of $10,467,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 147,045 shares in the company, valued at $15,391,200.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, VP Lance E. D’amico sold 15,000 shares of Amphenol stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total transaction of $1,571,250.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 25,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,692,075. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Craig A. Lampo sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were 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 owns 147,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,391,200.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 305,000 shares of company stock valued at $31,846,050. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Amphenol from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Amphenol from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Amphenol from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Amphenol from $117.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.83.

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.