BNP Paribas Financial Markets Reduces Position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 32.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,125 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,693 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in AptarGroup were worth $1,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 44,728 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,027,000 after purchasing an additional 8,158 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $295,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 144.0% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,479 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,003,000 after acquiring an additional 15,036 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $728,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $424,000. 88.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In related news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 3,614 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.96, for a total transaction of $563,639.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,462,748.84. This represents a 27.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 17,771 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total transaction of $2,687,686.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 204,986 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,002,082.64. This represents a 7.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,709 shares of company stock valued at $5,129,410. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (up from $162.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.60.

AptarGroup Price Performance

AptarGroup stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $158.49. The company had a trading volume of 388,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 306,841. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $147.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.07. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.85 and a 1-year high of $178.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.38.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.04. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. The firm had revenue of $887.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $894.26 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.85%.

AptarGroup Company Profile

AptarGroup, Inc designs and manufactures a range of drug delivery, consumer product dispensing, and active material science solutions and services for the pharmaceutical, beauty, personal care, home care, and food and beverage markets. The company operates through Aptar Pharma, Aptar Beauty, and Aptar Closures segments.