Amphenol vs Kia: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Amphenol reported $23.1B of revenue in FY2025 and $4.3B of net income. Kia reported ~$81B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$5.4B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Amphenol
Amphenol compounds through acquisition in a fragmented industry. Net sales rose from $12.55 billion in 2023 to $15.22 billion in 2024 and $23.09 billion in 2025, and net income rose from $1.93 billion to $2.42 billion and then $4.27 billion across the same three years. Fiscal 2025 produced a 25.4% GAAP operating margin, $5.4 billion of operating cash flow and $4.4 billion of free cash flow, and the company returned nearly $1.5 billion to shareholders while completing five acquisitions. The pattern is consistent: buy niche connector, cable and sensor makers, leave their management and brands in place, add purchasing scale, and fund the next deal from cash flow and investment grade debt.
Kia
Kia's revenue has risen every year since 2020: from ~$49.6 billion (KRW 69.9 trillion) in 2021 to ~$76.3 billion (KRW 107.4 trillion) in 2024 and a record ~$81 billion (KRW 114.1 trillion) in 2025 (+6.2%). Profit has not kept up. Operating profit fell 28.3% in 2025 to ~$6.45 billion (KRW 9.08 trillion), and the margin dropped from 11.8% to 8.0% as US tariffs and incentives ate into earnings. Net profit was about $5.36 billion (KRW 7.55 trillion). The squeeze continued into 2026. Q1 revenue was a record ~$20.9 billion (KRW 29.50 trillion) (+5.3%), but operating profit fell 26.7% to ~$1.57 billion (KRW 2.21 trillion). Q2 revenue reached ~$23.5 billion (KRW 33.04 trillion) (+12.6%) while operating profit fell 4.9% to ~$1.87 billion (KRW 2.63 trillion). The shares dropped about 13% on the day of the Q2 results. Shareholder returns are still high: the 2025 dividend was KRW 6,800 per share, a 35% consolidated payout ratio, and Kia has been cancelling treasury shares, cutting issued shares from 405.4 million in 2022 to 390.4 million at the end of 2025.
Revenue and profit by year
Amphenol
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $23.1B | $4.3B | 18.5% | +51.7% | Source |
| FY2024 | $15.2B | $2.4B | 15.9% | +21.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | $12.6B | $1.9B | 15.4% | -0.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | $12.6B | $1.9B | 15.1% | +16.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | $10.9B | $1.6B | 14.6% | +26.5% | Source |
| FY2020 | $8.6B | $1.2B | 14.0% | +4.5% | Source |
| FY2019 | $8.2B | $1.2B | 14.0% | +0.3% | Source |
| FY2018 | $8.2B | $1.2B | 14.7% | +17.0% | Source |
| FY2017 | $7B | $650.5M | 9.3% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2016 | $6.3B | $822.9M | 13.1% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Amphenol
- Communications Solutions~52%
High-speed board-to-board and backplane connectors, fiber optic interconnects, RF and microwave connectors, antennas, and cable assemblies for IT datacom, mobile networks, mobile devices, automotive, and broadband communications. FY2025 revenue of $12.1 billion, up 91% YoY, driven by $4.6 billion in incremental AI datacom sales.
- Harsh Environment Solutions~25%
Ruggedized connectors, cable assemblies, and interconnect systems for defense, commercial aerospace, industrial, and automotive applications that must withstand extreme temperatures, vibration, moisture, and electromagnetic interference. FY2025 revenue of $5.9 billion, up 33% YoY, with significant contributions from the Carlisle Interconnect Technologies acquisition.
- Interconnect and Sensor Systems~22%
Sensor technologies, value-added cable assemblies, and specialized interconnect products for automotive, industrial, IT datacom, and medical applications. FY2025 revenue of $5.2 billion, up 15% YoY, with growth in industrial sensors and the August 2025 acquisition of Rochester Sensors.
Kia
- Global Vehicle Sales
primary revenue source
Kia generates most revenue from selling SUVs, passenger cars, hybrids, EVs, and commercial vehicles through regional subsidiaries, importers, dealers, and fleet channels.
- Parts, Service, and Accessories
recurring support revenue
Genuine parts, aftersales service, accessories, and warranty-related activity provide higher-repeat revenue tied to Kia's installed vehicle base.
- Future Mobility and PBVs
emerging growth area
Dedicated EVs, software-defined vehicles, purpose-built vehicles, and connected services support Kia's longer-term mobility strategy.
Business model and strategy
Amphenol
How it makes money
The business model is high volume, highly specialized B2B component manufacturing. Amphenol sells hundreds of thousands of connector, cable, antenna and sensor variants to thousands of customers, and no single end market dominates: in 2025, data centers and information technology accounted for 36% of sales, industrial 19%, automotive 15%, communications networks 10%, defense 9%, mobile devices 6% and commercial aeros…
Growth strategy
Amphenol's growth strategy has two parts: sell into secular demand and buy specialized suppliers. On the first, it builds high speed copper and optical interconnects for AI clusters, including the Celerity mezzanine connector family rated to 224 Gb/s PAM4 and XtremePass co-packaged copper interconnects aimed at 448G class links, plus high voltage connectors and sensors for electric vehicles, which carry more wiring a…
Competitive advantage
Amphenol's competitive advantage rests on switching costs and the cost of failure. A connector may cost a few cents, but if it fails the aircraft, satellite or server rack around it stops working, so buyers qualify suppliers rather than shop on price.
Kia
How it makes money
Kia makes money mainly by building and selling vehicles wholesale to its regional sales subsidiaries, importers and franchised dealers, which then sell to retail and fleet buyers. SUVs and RVs such as the Sportage, Sorento, Seltos, Carnival and Telluride make up most of the mix and earn more per unit than small sedans.
Growth strategy
Kia's current strategy, set out at the 2026 CEO Investor Day, uses several powertrains instead of only EVs. It plans to grow EVs (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, EV9 and later models) and hybrids together, add a PBV line of modular electric vans starting with the PV5, and build up software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving and robotics as longer-term businesses.
Competitive advantage
Kia's main advantages are its scale inside Hyundai Motor Group and the way it can switch powertrains easily. Sharing platforms, the E-GMP 800V EV architecture, batteries, chips and logistics (Hyundai Glovis) with Hyundai lowers development and purchasing costs. Factories in Korea, the US (Georgia), Mexico, Slovakia and India let Kia shift production between combustion, hybrid and electric models.
Questions about Amphenol vs Kia
Which company has higher revenue — Amphenol Corporation or Kia Corporation?
Amphenol Corporation reported $23.1B (FY2025), while Kia Corporation reported ~$81B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Kia Corporation is the larger business, with Amphenol Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of Amphenol Corporation vs Kia Corporation?
Amphenol Corporation's market capitalisation stands at $208.6B, while Kia Corporation's is $32.4B. Amphenol Corporation carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Kia Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — Amphenol Corporation or Kia Corporation?
Amphenol Corporation generates $136k / employee in revenue per employee, while Kia Corporation generates $1.52M / employee. Kia Corporation shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Amphenol Corporation and Kia Corporation make money?
Amphenol Corporation and Kia Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Amphenol Corporation: The business model is high volume, highly specialized B2B component manufacturing. Kia Corporation: Kia makes money mainly by building and selling vehicles wholesale to its regional sales subsidiaries, importers and franchised dealers, which then sell to retail and fleet buyers.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Amphenol Corporation or Kia Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Amphenol Corporation trades at 9.0x P/S and Kia Corporation at 0.4x P/S. Amphenol Corporation commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Kia Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Amphenol Corporation bigger than Kia Corporation?
By last reported revenue, Kia Corporation (~$81B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Amphenol Corporation ($23.1B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Amphenol vs Kia overview