AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ATR. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.60.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATR opened at $141.55 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59. AptarGroup has a 12 month low of $134.57 and a 12 month high of $178.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $158.68 and its 200 day moving average is $159.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last issued 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 net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.62%. Research analysts predict that AptarGroup will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is 32.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 3.6% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank boosted its position in AptarGroup by 3.3% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 2.3% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $531,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in AptarGroup by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.