AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Trading Down 0.1% – What’s Next?

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) shares fell 0.1% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $145.89 and last traded at $145.90. 15,679 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 96% from the average session volume of 377,859 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America downgraded AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AptarGroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.60.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $151.51 and its 200 day moving average is $159.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $9.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. Analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in AptarGroup by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in AptarGroup by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Commerce Bank lifted its holdings in AptarGroup by 3.3% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,028 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.