New York, Feb 3, 2026, 14:20 (EST) — Regular session
- Amphenol shares slipped roughly 0.5% in afternoon trading, bouncing between $140.98 and $149.18 earlier.
- Investors are digging into new details from the earnings-call transcript released early Tuesday
- Attention centers on AI-driven data center order momentum and the impact of the newly acquired CommScope unit on first-quarter earnings
Amphenol (NYSE: APH) slipped 0.5% to $144.26 in Tuesday afternoon trading, after dipping to $140.98 earlier. TE Connectivity shares dropped around 2.2%, and Corning slid about 0.3%.
The shifts follow a steep pullback after the company’s late-January earnings, as investors wrestle with how lasting the boost from data-center spending might be. The bigger issue now is whether the demand environment and Amphenol’s recent acquisitions can keep delivering growth without eating into margins.
A transcript posted early Tuesday by Investing.com reveals CEO R. Adam Norwitt telling analysts that AI-related investment plans “are all going up.” He also pointed out Amphenol won’t have any 10% customers in that segment by 2025. Norwitt added that the CommScope unit is experiencing “very strong orders” and a “positive book-to-bill” ratio—a key indicator comparing orders to sales. CFO Craig A. Lampo noted the CommScope business will drag first-quarter operating margins down by just over 100 basis points, roughly one percentage point. (Investing)
Equities faced pressure, with the S&P 500 down 1.4% and the Nasdaq sliding 2.2% as of this writing. The Dow also dipped, losing 0.9%. (Reuters)
The Wallingford, Connecticut-based firm reported fourth-quarter sales of $6.4 billion last week, marking a 49% increase year-over-year. Adjusted diluted earnings per share came in at $0.97. For the first quarter, it projects sales between $6.90 billion and $7.00 billion, with adjusted EPS ranging from $0.91 to $0.93. The forecast factors in roughly $900 million in sales from its newly acquired CommScope Connectivity and Cable Solutions unit, along with about $0.02 in EPS accretion, signaling a boost to earnings. (Amphenol Investors)
A Barron’s column Tuesday described the stock as hitting a “rough patch” following the report, noting that hopes for AI-driven growth were likely overblown ahead of the earnings. (Barron’s)
Traders are shifting focus from the last quarter to the current one: will order strength in IT datacom persist, and can the CommScope unit’s sales growth accelerate without hurting overall profitability? Updates on margin trends will be crucial, given that recent stock moves have hinged on slight shifts in expectations.
The downside is straightforward. If hyperscalers cut back on data-center expansions or customers hold off on orders following a surge in spending, that “AI-driven” demand could stall quickly. In that scenario, the new acquisition might drag on dilution longer than the optimistic forecasts suggest.
The next major trigger will be the first-quarter earnings report. Amphenol hasn’t officially announced a date, but earnings calendars put it on April 22, ahead of the market open. (Marketbeat)
