Morse Asset Management Inc Makes New $1.03 Million Investment in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 14,895 shares of the electronics maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,034,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 42.8% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 163,765 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $11,373,000 after acquiring an additional 49,063 shares in the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 7,324 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $509,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Moore Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Amphenol during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,945,000. LMR Partners LLP grew its position in Amphenol by 105.7% during the fourth quarter. LMR Partners LLP now owns 606,297 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $42,107,000 after acquiring an additional 311,497 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Amphenol during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,320,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.01% of the company's stock.

Amphenol Price Performance

Shares of APH stock traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $86.89. 7,689,932 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,529,052. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Amphenol Co. has a 52-week low of $54.77 and a 52-week high of $86.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.91 and a 200 day moving average of $70.28. The company has a market cap of $105.10 billion, a PE ratio of 45.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The electronics maker reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.11. Amphenol had a return on equity of 25.67% and a net margin of 15.92%. The business had revenue of $4.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 47.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Amphenol Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Amphenol Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. Amphenol's payout ratio is currently 32.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APH has been the topic of several research reports. Fox Advisors raised shares of Amphenol from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $85.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. TD Securities lifted their price target on shares of Amphenol from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Amphenol from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, US Capital Advisors set a $85.00 target price on shares of Amphenol in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amphenol currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.62.

Insider Activity

In other Amphenol news, CFO Craig A. Lampo sold 400,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.93, for a total transaction of $30,372,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 100,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,593,000. This trade represents a 80.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP David M. Silverman sold 87,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.03, for a total value of $7,002,625.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,000,375. The trade was a 87.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,178,500 shares of company stock worth $241,903,805. Corporate insiders own 1.67% 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.