Sandhill Capital Partners LLC Purchases 2,206 Shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Sandhill Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 371,608 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. Amphenol makes up about 3.1% of Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Sandhill Capital Partners LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Amphenol worth $36,838,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in Amphenol in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Amphenol by 70.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Amphenol in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Amphenol during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. 97.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on APH shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Amphenol from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Amphenol in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Amphenol from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price target on Amphenol from $121.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Amphenol from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.64, for a total transaction of $2,212,800.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Lance E. D’amico sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total value of $1,571,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 25,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,692,075. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of the 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 305,000 shares of company stock valued at $31,846,050. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Amphenol Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of Amphenol stock traded up $2.69 on Thursday, hitting $119.00. 4,254,558 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,871,129. Amphenol Co. has a one year low of $72.00 and a one year high of $119.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $111.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.30. The company has a market capitalization of $71.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.30.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The electronics maker reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.07. Amphenol had a return on equity of 23.94% and a net margin of 15.36%. The company had revenue of $3.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Amphenol Co. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 19th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 18th. Amphenol’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.30%.

Amphenol announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the electronics maker to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.