Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Increases Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 214.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,397 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 10,508 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $2,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in AptarGroup in the first quarter valued at about $215,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 167.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 6,690 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $957,000 after purchasing an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in AptarGroup by 90.2% in the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 19,023 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,737,000 after purchasing an additional 9,021 shares during the period. Rockport Wealth LLC acquired a new position in AptarGroup during the first quarter worth $351,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 1.5% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 11,002 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,583,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 1,660 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.15, for a total transaction of $250,909.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 22,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,423,698.65. This represents a 6.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,499 shares of company stock worth $6,393,076 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Down 4.4 %

NYSE ATR traded down $7.61 on Friday, hitting $166.49. 620,523 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 287,292. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.29 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $163.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $11.08 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.57.

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

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 24th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AptarGroup 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.