Pacer Advisors Inc. Lowers Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors Inc. significantly reduced its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. by 72.5%, selling 9,724 shares and ending the quarter with a total of 3,690 shares valued at $548,000.
• AptarGroup reported earnings per share of $1.66 for the recent quarter, surpassing estimates of $1.58, with a revenue of $966.01 million, marking a 6.1% increase from the same period last year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45, which will be paid on August 14th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.3% with a payout ratio of 30.98%.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 72.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,690 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 9,724 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,028 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $162,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems boosted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 10,981 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,725,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Nia Impact Advisors LLC now owns 9,690 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,522,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,600 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,760,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,818 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Price Performance

ATR stock traded up $1.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 218,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,296. The stock has a market cap of $9.30 billion, a PE ratio of 24.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.85 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The company's 50 day moving average is $155.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.55.

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

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ATR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $182.00 to $172.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $173.00 to $153.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 995 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 26,301 shares in the company, valued at $4,008,798.42. This trade represents a 3.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Hedi Tlili sold 3,614 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.96, for a total transaction of $563,639.44. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,462,748.84. This represents a 27.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,351 shares of company stock worth $5,257,371 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

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.