Janus Henderson Group PLC Cuts Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lessened its holdings in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,727 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $4,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new stake in AptarGroup in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its position in AptarGroup by 312.0% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of AptarGroup stock opened at $170.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 34.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $168.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.04. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.29 and a 1 year high of $178.03. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATR has been the subject of several research reports. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $195.00.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In related news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 1,375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.54, for a total transaction of $209,742.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,430,672.66. This represents a 12.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 have sold 32,339 shares of company stock worth $5,460,495 over the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AptarGroup 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.