AptarGroup, Inc. $ATR Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc cut its AptarGroup stake by 18.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,803 shares and leaving it with 109,160 shares valued at about $13.3 million.
• AptarGroup reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $1.19 versus estimates of $1.15 and revenue of $982.87 million, up 10.8% year over year.
• The company also approved a $600 million share buyback and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with a consensus price target of $173.25.

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 18.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,160 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 24,803 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.17% of AptarGroup worth $13,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,383,000. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $7,314,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in AptarGroup by 30,035.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 136,211 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,220,000 after acquiring an additional 135,759 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 218.1% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 372,369 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $49,771,000 after purchasing an additional 255,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the third quarter worth about $1,678,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In related news, EVP Irene Elizabeth Hudson sold 1,264 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.43, for a total transaction of $156,015.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at $182,676.40. This trade represents a 46.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.73% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATR opened at $112.24 on Wednesday. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $103.23 and a one year high of $164.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.66.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $982.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $955.95 million. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 9.98%.The business's revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.20 earnings per share. AptarGroup has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.320-1.400 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.42 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 5th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to buy up to 7.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 6th. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is 32.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research raised AptarGroup from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AptarGroup from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $156.00 price objective on AptarGroup in a report on Monday, February 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $173.25.

About AptarGroup

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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