Woodline Partners LP Sells 993,404 Shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Woodline Partners LP reduced its holdings in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH - Free Report) by 99.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,513 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 993,404 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP's holdings in Amphenol were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tacita Capital Inc increased its stake in Amphenol by 328.9% in the 4th quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 386 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Amphenol in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Amphenol in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Amphenol by 703.8% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 418 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new stake in Amphenol in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 97.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Amphenol

In other news, CEO Richard Adam Norwitt sold 2,000,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.73, for a total transaction of $151,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,002,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $151,649,855.11. This represents a 49.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Craig A. Lampo sold 400,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 100,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,593,000. This trade represents a 80.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,218,500 shares of company stock valued at $245,455,405. Company insiders own 1.67% of the company's stock.

Amphenol Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APH traded up $0.85 on Friday, reaching $89.77. 21,458,563 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,493,509. The company has a fifty day moving average of $74.71 and a 200-day moving average of $71.52. Amphenol Co. has a twelve month low of $54.77 and a twelve month high of $89.98. The company has a market capitalization of $108.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.88, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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

Amphenol Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. Amphenol's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APH. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $72.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. US Capital Advisors set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Amphenol in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $73.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amphenol has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.38.

About Amphenol

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.