Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. Trims Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,169 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,408 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. owned 0.12% of AptarGroup worth $12,595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted 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 valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in AptarGroup by 35.1% during the 4th 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, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 310.4% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

AptarGroup stock traded down $3.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $148.42. The stock had a trading volume of 97,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 306,280. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.85 and a 52-week high of $178.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $9.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's fifty day moving average is $145.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.83.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.56% and a net margin of 10.45%. On average, research analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. AptarGroup's payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ATR shares. StockNews.com downgraded AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on AptarGroup from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.