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

Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $189.50.

ATR has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Dbs Bank upgraded AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of AptarGroup stock traded down $2.52 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $152.98. The company had a trading volume of 83,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,677. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.79. The stock has a market cap of $10.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.72, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. AptarGroup has a 12-month low of $122.37 and a 12-month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 24th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at $29,530,412.80. The trade was a 14.70 % 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, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup in the third quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in 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 during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Company 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.