First Merchants Corp Has $18.13 Million Stock Holdings in Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH)

First Merchants Corp lowered its position in shares of Amphenol Co. (NYSE:APH) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 260,987 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 1,208 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Amphenol were worth $18,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Amphenol by 352.1% in the third quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 434 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 50.0% in 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 last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Amphenol by 89.3% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 496 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management bought a new stake in Amphenol during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Amphenol in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 97.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Amphenol Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of APH opened at $69.40 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $51.69 and a 12 month high of $79.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $71.39 and its 200-day moving average is $68.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.67 billion, a PE ratio of 36.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Amphenol Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.165 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. Amphenol’s dividend payout ratio is 34.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on APH. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Amphenol from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Amphenol from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Amphenol from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price target on Amphenol from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Amphenol from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.68.

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.