AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Raymond James

Research analysts at Raymond James began coverage on shares of AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Raymond James’ price target indicates a potential upside of 30.02% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AptarGroup has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $190.60.

AptarGroup Price Performance

NYSE:ATR opened at $153.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 30.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.59. AptarGroup has a 12 month low of $122.97 and a 12 month high of $178.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $166.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.96.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the company’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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,324,977.84. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the third quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 312.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 79.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 598 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 42.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.