AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Shares Sold by Quilter Plc

Quilter Plc trimmed its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,696 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 616 shares during the period. Quilter Plc’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. EULAV Asset Management grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. EULAV Asset Management now owns 288,125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,264,000 after acquiring an additional 58,599 shares in the last quarter. Longboard Asset Management LP acquired a new position in AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth $225,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT acquired a new position in AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth $302,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 16,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,621,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of ATR opened at $143.26 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $159.87 and its 200-day moving average is $158.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.15. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $131.51 and a 12-month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.62%. Equities research analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ATR. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AptarGroup Company 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.