Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 3,664 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 288.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,934 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,664 shares during the quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AptarGroup during the third quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in AptarGroup by 446.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in AptarGroup by 312.0% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 79.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 598 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of ATR opened at $158.42 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $162.42 and its 200-day moving average is $158.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.54 billion, a PE ratio of 31.81, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.59. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $128.05 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03.

AptarGroup declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 10th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on ATR. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $190.60.

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.