Eagle Asset Management Inc. Purchases 12,271 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 43.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,271 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of AptarGroup worth $7,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 446.5% in the third 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 period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in AptarGroup by 281.0% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the second quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 4,983.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of AptarGroup stock traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $172.59. 270,111 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 291,275. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.29 and a 12 month high of $178.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.03. The company has a market capitalization of $11.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.62.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors 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 reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded 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. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AptarGroup has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $195.00.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,530,412.80. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 35,639 shares of company stock worth $5,960,841 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.