AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on ATR. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of 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. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.60.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

NYSE:ATR opened at $141.55 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.55, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s 50-day moving average is $158.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.03. AptarGroup has a 1-year low of $134.57 and a 1-year high of $178.03.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.62%. Analysts forecast that AptarGroup will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 312.0% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 88.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.