D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Decreases Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. reduced its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 83.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,672 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 19,142 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.'s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in AptarGroup by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,028 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 16,683 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,621,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,906,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AptarGroup Stock Down 0.2%

ATR stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $158.08. The stock had a trading volume of 27,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 307,196. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.58. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $130.85 and a one year high of $178.03. The company's 50 day moving average is $149.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.45.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $887.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $894.26 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors 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 was Thursday, May 1st. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATR has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James lowered 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $170.00 target price (up previously 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 has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 17,771 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,687,686.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 204,986 shares in the company, valued at $31,002,082.64. This trade represents a 7.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 995 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.42, for a total transaction of $151,657.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,709 shares of company stock worth $6,224,840. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About AptarGroup

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.