AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Position Lessened by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC cut its holdings in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,499 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 13,697 shares during the period. Barclays PLC's holdings in AptarGroup were worth $4,724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AptarGroup during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 312.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in AptarGroup by 79.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 598 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATR traded down $0.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $158.18. The stock had a trading volume of 730,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,152. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $169.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.04. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.29 and a 1 year high of $178.03. The company has a market capitalization of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58.

AptarGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase 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 reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 24th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup's payout ratio is currently 36.14%.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ATR. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AptarGroup presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $195.00.

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.