Amphenol Shares Rise 27% in a Year: Should You Buy the Stock?

Amphenol APH shares have surged more than 27.2% in the trailing 12-month period, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s return of 20% and the Zacks Electronics Connectors industry’s appreciation of 21.4%. APH is benefiting from higher revenues across the IT datacom, mobile networks, broadband, defense, commercial air, and mobile devices automotive end-markets. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Amphenol saw record orders of $5.14 billion, up 58% from the prior year, resulting in a book-to-bill ratio of 1.16:1. The strong orders were primarily driven by increased demand from data centers, especially due to investments in artificial intelligence by several large customers.APH Stock’s Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Although APH shares are trading below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating a bearish trend, strong portfolio of solutions, diversified business model and accretive acquisitions make the stock an interesting prospect. Let’s dig deep to find out more about APH.APH Shares Trade Below 50-Day & 200-Day SMAs Image Source: Zacks Investment Research APH Stock Rides on Diversified BusinessAmphenol’s diversified business model lowers the volatility of individual end markets and geographies. Its wide array of interconnect and sensor products boosts long-term prospects.Amphenol’s long-term prospects benefit from strong spending by countries around next-generation defense technologies. Strong demand for jet-liners and next-gen aircraft is bullish for the commercial aerospace segment. Amphenol plans to expand its high-technology interconnect antenna and sensor offerings, both organically and through complementary acquisitions in the industrial domain. The company’s solutions are critical for both high-speed power and fiber optic interconnect solutions. The growing use of AI and machine learning is driving these technologies, benefiting APH’s long-term prospects in the IT datacom end market.Acquisitions Boost Amphenol’s ProspectsAcquisitions have helped APH strengthen its product offerings and expand its customer base. The buyouts contributed 8% to 2024 revenues. In May 2024, it completed the acquisition of CIT, which expanded Amphenol’s footprint across defense, commercial air and industrial end markets. The Lutze acquisition strengthens APH’s broad offering of high-technology interconnect products for industrial markets and expands the range of value-added interconnect products. The recently completed acquisitions of CommScope’s Outdoor Wireless Networks (OWN) and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) businesses expands Amphenol’s footprint in the areas of base station antennas and related interconnect solutions, as well as distributed antenna systems. The DAS and OWN acquisitions expand its footprint in the mobile networks market.APH Offers Positive Q1 GuidanceAmphenol expects first-quarter 2025 earnings between 49 cents and 51 cents per share, indicating growth between 23% and 28% year over year. Revenues are anticipated between $4 billion and $4.10 billion, suggesting growth in the 23-26% range.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at 52 cents per share, up by a penny over the past 30 days and indicating 28.52% growth over the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.The consensus mark for first-quarter 2025 revenues is pegged at $4.19 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 28.52%.APH’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 8.53%. Amphenol Corporation Price and Consensus Amphenol Corporation price-consensus-chart | Amphenol Corporation QuoteFind the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 revenues is pegged at $18.51 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 21.6%.The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at $2.36 per share, up 1.7% over the past 30 days and indicates 24.87% growth year over year.Here’s Why Amphenol is a BuyAmphenol is trading at a premium, as suggested by the Value Score of D.In terms of the forward 12-month Price/Earnings, APH is trading at 27.53X, higher than the sector’s 25.94X.Price/Earnings (P/E) F12M Image Source: Zacks Investment Research However, Amphenol’s strong portfolio and acquisitions that drive top-line growth justify a premium valuation.Amphenol stock currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and a Growth Score of B, a favorable combination that offers a strong investment opportunity, per the Zacks Proprietary methodology. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amphenol Corporation (APH): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks