Essex Financial Services Inc. Has $526,000 Holdings in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) by 49.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,303 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,765 shares during the quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Amphenol were worth $526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in Amphenol in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Amphenol by 75.5% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Amphenol by 70.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 333 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amphenol in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Amphenol during the third quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 97.01% of the company’s stock.

Amphenol Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Amphenol stock opened at $122.65 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.27. Amphenol Co. has a 12-month low of $72.77 and a 12-month high of $123.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.73.

Amphenol (NYSE:APH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The electronics maker reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. Amphenol had a net margin of 15.87% and a return on equity of 23.85%. Amphenol’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Amphenol Co. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Amphenol Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Amphenol’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.91%.

Amphenol announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 24th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the electronics maker to reacquire up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on APH shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Amphenol from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Amphenol from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Amphenol from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Amphenol from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Amphenol from $107.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.83.

Insider Activity at Amphenol

In other Amphenol news, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.64, for a total transaction of $2,212,800.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Amphenol news, insider Peter Straub sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.64, for a total transaction of $2,212,800.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $1,571,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,692,075. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 135,000 shares of company stock valued at $14,251,050 over the last ninety days. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.