AptarGroup, Inc. $ATR Holdings Cut by Choate Investment Advisors

Key Points

• Choate Investment Advisors cut its AptarGroup stake by 45.5% in the fourth quarter, though institutional ownership remains very high at 88.52% of shares outstanding.
• AptarGroup reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.19 versus $1.15 expected and revenue of $982.87 million versus $955.95 million, while revenue rose 10.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share and a $600 million share buyback authorization, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders.

Choate Investment Advisors decreased its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 45.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,618 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 33,977 shares during the quarter. Choate Investment Advisors owned approximately 0.06% of AptarGroup worth $4,954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in AptarGroup by 97.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 2,759,026 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $368,771,000 after buying an additional 1,358,269 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in AptarGroup by 218.1% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 372,369 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $49,771,000 after buying an additional 255,291 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in AptarGroup by 136.0% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 405,066 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $62,769,000 after buying an additional 233,445 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in AptarGroup by 183.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 327,607 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $51,248,000 after buying an additional 212,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in AptarGroup by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,414,719 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $172,539,000 after buying an additional 180,365 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on ATR. Robert W. Baird set a $156.00 target price on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Friday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $173.25.

AptarGroup Stock Up 0.1%

AptarGroup stock opened at $116.30 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.42. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $124.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $103.23 and a 1-year high of $164.28.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $982.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $955.95 million. AptarGroup had a net margin of 9.98% and a return on equity of 13.98%. AptarGroup's revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. AptarGroup has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.320-1.400 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.88%.

AptarGroup declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 5th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 7.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Irene Elizabeth Hudson sold 1,264 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.43, for a total transaction of $156,015.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,676.40. This trade represents a 46.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.73% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Profile

AptarGroup, Inc is a global provider of advanced dispensing, sealing and protection solutions for consumer and pharmaceutical markets. The company designs and manufactures a broad portfolio of products that enable the controlled delivery of liquids, gels, powders and aerosols. Its customer base spans beauty and personal care, home care, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors, where innovation in packaging and drug‐delivery devices drives brand differentiation and regulatory compliance.

In the consumer markets, AptarGroup offers pumps, actuators, valves, closures and specialized bottles engineered for precision, convenience and sustainability.

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