GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Stock Position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,384 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,734 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $7,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 446.5% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 312.0% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in AptarGroup during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 79.6% in 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 during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total value of $162,752.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AptarGroup Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of ATR stock opened at $158.41 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $161.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.90. 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 1-year low of $129.30 and a 1-year high of $178.03. The firm has a market cap of $10.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.81, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.59.

AptarGroup declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is 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 paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America cut shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AptarGroup has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.