Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 45,018 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has reduced its position in AptarGroup, Inc. by 0.6%, now owning approximately 10.86% of the company valued at $1.06 billion.
• AptarGroup reported a strong quarterly EPS of $1.66, exceeding estimates, with a 6.1% increase in revenue year-over-year to $966.01 million.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing a yield of 1.3%, to be paid on August 14th.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,161,997 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 45,018 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.86% of AptarGroup worth $1,062,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ATR. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in AptarGroup by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 122,465 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $19,239,000 after acquiring an additional 10,933 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,439 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,819 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 33.7% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 1,928 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $21,941,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of ATR stock traded up $0.43 during trading on Friday, reaching $138.77. The company had a trading volume of 333,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 381,431. The company has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.57. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $152.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $150.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.83. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $130.85 and a one year high of $178.03.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $966.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $954.06 million. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 10.84%. AptarGroup's quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. AptarGroup's payout ratio is currently 30.98%.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, insider Xiangwei Gong sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.49, for a total value of $1,095,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,606,369.85. This trade represents a 40.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gael Touya sold 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.62, for a total value of $503,646.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 33,963 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,183,433.06. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,971 shares of company stock worth $1,854,388. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ATR shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $172.00 price objective (down from $182.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $153.00 target price (down previously from $173.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $174.60.

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.