KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires Shares of 406,224 Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 406,224 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $28,269,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Amphenol by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 23,532 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in shares of Amphenol by 50.0% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 498 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc raised its holdings 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 valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Amphenol by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,483 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Amphenol Trading Up 0.6 %

Amphenol stock opened at $66.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.37. The stock has a market cap of $80.88 billion, a PE ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $68.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.52. Amphenol Co. has a one year low of $54.72 and a one year high of $79.39.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The electronics maker reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.05 billion. Amphenol had a net margin of 15.92% and a return on equity of 25.67%. Amphenol’s revenue was up 29.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Amphenol Co. will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Amphenol Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.165 dividend. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Amphenol’s payout ratio is 34.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on APH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Amphenol from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Amphenol from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Amphenol from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Amphenol from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.68.

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.