AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $190.60.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James started coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America cut AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th.

AptarGroup Stock Down 0.6 %

ATR stock traded down $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $157.23. The company had a trading volume of 834,143 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,379. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $161.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.75. The company has a market capitalization of $10.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.59. AptarGroup has a 52 week low of $128.05 and a 52 week high of $178.03.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup's payout ratio is 36.14%.

AptarGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to buy up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the business'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. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $108,239,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 29.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,106,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $337,502,000 after purchasing an additional 479,193 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 182.1% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 538,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $86,315,000 after buying an additional 347,800 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 13.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,864,198 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $298,626,000 after buying an additional 214,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 88.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 230,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,968,000 after purchasing an additional 108,175 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is owned by 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.