AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 629,600 shares, an increase of 19.0% from the December 31st total of 529,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 279,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of ATR traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $157.23. The stock had a trading volume of 834,143 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,379. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.59. 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 company's fifty day moving average is $161.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.65. AptarGroup has a 52 week low of $128.05 and a 52 week high of $178.03.

AptarGroup declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AptarGroup in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded 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. Bank of America downgraded AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $190.60.

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.

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