EULAV Asset Management Purchases 58,599 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

EULAV Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 25.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 288,125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 58,599 shares during the quarter. AptarGroup makes up approximately 1.1% of EULAV Asset Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. EULAV Asset Management’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $45,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ATR. Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its stake in AptarGroup by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 16,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,621,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in AptarGroup by 689.4% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 64,541 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,139,000 after purchasing an additional 56,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moody Aldrich Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup in the fourth quarter worth approximately $299,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Stock Down 8.4 %

NYSE ATR opened at $143.26 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $160.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.88. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $131.51 and a one year high of $178.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company has a market capitalization of $9.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.59.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 9.40% and a return on equity of 14.92%. As a group, equities analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is currently 36.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ATR shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock 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 objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, 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 for the company. One analyst has 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.