AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $178.60.

A number of equities analysts have commented on ATR shares. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $170.00 price objective (up previously from $162.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

AptarGroup Trading Up 1.6%

ATR opened at $154.99 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $147.14 and a 200 day moving average of $155.42. AptarGroup has a 12 month low of $130.85 and a 12 month high of $178.03. The firm has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $887.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $894.26 million. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AptarGroup will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 17,771 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.24, for a total value of $2,687,686.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 204,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,002,082.64. The trade was a 7.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 995 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was 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 approximately $4,008,798.42. This represents a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 30,095 shares of company stock worth $4,565,770. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Simplex Trading LLC raised its stake in AptarGroup by 107.4% during the first quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 155.0% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 278 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in AptarGroup by 281.9% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

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.