Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Takes Position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 4,983.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ATR opened at $166.41 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $156.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $148.72. AptarGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $120.36 and a twelve month high of $169.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.58.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.01. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.13% and a net margin of 9.00%. The business had revenue of $910.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $930.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 24th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.63%.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase 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 buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ATR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $190.00.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 1,375 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.54, for a total value of $209,742.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,379 shares in the company, valued at $1,430,672.66. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other AptarGroup news, insider Xiangwei Gong sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.56, for a total transaction of $117,248.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,956,701.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Hedi Tlili sold 1,375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.54, for a total value of $209,742.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,379 shares in the company, valued at $1,430,672.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 49,457 shares of company stock worth $7,314,030 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% 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.