AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Stock Position Raised by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 88.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,105 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,925 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in AptarGroup were worth $645,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ATR. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in AptarGroup by 328.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 462 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $75,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 310.4% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ATR traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, reaching $158.43. 335,104 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 357,875. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $149.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.45. The firm has a market cap of $10.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.58. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.85 and a 12-month high of $178.03. 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 data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.04. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. The company had revenue of $887.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $894.26 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. AptarGroup's revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 1st. AptarGroup's payout ratio is 32.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James dropped their target price on AptarGroup from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $170.00 price target (up previously from $162.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AptarGroup currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $178.60.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 11,329 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.39, for a total transaction of $1,726,426.31. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 204,986 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,237,816.54. The trade was a 5.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 995 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.42, for a total transaction of $151,657.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,301 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,008,798.42. The trade was a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,709 shares of company stock valued at $6,224,840 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.