Krane Funds Advisors LLC Takes $500,000 Position in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Krane Funds Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,201 shares of the electronics maker’s stock, valued at approximately $500,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its position in Amphenol by 0.6% in 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 holdings in shares of Amphenol by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 787 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc increased its position in Amphenol by 4.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Amphenol by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,219 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. 97.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amphenol Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APH opened at $59.14 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $66.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.85. The company has a market capitalization of $71.67 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.17. Amphenol Co. has a 1 year low of $53.93 and a 1 year high of $79.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.37.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The electronics maker reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.05. Amphenol had a net margin of 15.92% and a return on equity of 25.67%. The business had revenue of $4.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Amphenol Co. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Amphenol Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.12%. Amphenol’s payout ratio is 34.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on APH. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Amphenol from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Amphenol from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Amphenol from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America upped their price target on Amphenol from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Amphenol from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Amphenol has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.