Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) Short Interest Up 5.8% in March

Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,600,000 shares, a growth of 5.8% from the March 15th total of 7,180,000 shares. Approximately 1.3% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,700,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Amphenol Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of APH traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $112.58. The stock had a trading volume of 3,907,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,741,509. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.96. The firm has a market cap of $67.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Amphenol has a fifty-two week low of $72.00 and a fifty-two week high of $119.59.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The electronics maker reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.16 billion. Amphenol had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 23.94%. The company's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Amphenol will post 3.28 EPS for the current year.

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 19th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. Amphenol's payout ratio is presently 28.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider William J. Doherty sold 170,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.50, for a total transaction of $17,595,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Lance E. D'amico sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total value of $1,571,250.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,692,075. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider William J. Doherty sold 170,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.50, for a total transaction of $17,595,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 305,000 shares of company stock worth $31,846,050 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.22% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amphenol

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in APH. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Amphenol during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in Amphenol in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Amphenol by 75.5% during the fourth 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 grew its position in Amphenol by 70.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Amphenol in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.01% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on APH. Citigroup increased their price target on Amphenol from $117.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Amphenol in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They set a "hold" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Amphenol from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Amphenol from $107.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Amphenol from $100.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.00.

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.