Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. Trims Stock Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lessened its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 682,837 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 15,818 shares during the quarter. AptarGroup accounts for about 1.3% of Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. owned approximately 1.03% of AptarGroup worth $107,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ATR. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 328.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 462 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter worth $75,000. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ATR opened at $157.85 on Tuesday. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.85 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $147.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.07. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.58.

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

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 3,614 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,462,748.84. The trade was a 27.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 995 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,301 shares in the company, valued at $4,008,798.42. This trade represents a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,709 shares of company stock worth $5,129,410. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ATR shares. StockNews.com upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $170.00 price target (up from $162.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.60.

AptarGroup 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.

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