AQR Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 746,512 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 40,607 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Amphenol worth $51,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 23,532 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its holdings in Amphenol by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 787 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Amphenol by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 3,824 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,483 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Amphenol by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,219 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.01% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Craig A. Lampo sold 400,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.93, for a total transaction of $30,372,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 100,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,593,000. The trade was a 80.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Lance E. D'amico sold 175,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.28, for a total transaction of $13,349,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 51,400 shares in the company, valued at $3,920,792. This represents a 77.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,965,000 shares of company stock worth $224,785,900 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.67% of the company's stock.

Amphenol Stock Performance

Amphenol stock traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $80.19. The stock had a trading volume of 6,762,499 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,468,677. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.00 billion, a PE ratio of 41.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. Amphenol Co. has a 12 month low of $54.77 and a 12 month high of $81.00. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $66.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.40.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The electronics maker reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.11. Amphenol had a net margin of 15.92% and a return on equity of 25.67%. The company had revenue of $4.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. Amphenol's revenue for the quarter was up 47.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Amphenol Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. Amphenol's payout ratio is presently 32.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on APH. Bank of America raised their price objective on Amphenol from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. US Capital Advisors set a $85.00 price target on shares of Amphenol in a report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Amphenol from $85.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Amphenol from $73.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.62.

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.