Congress Asset Management Co. Grows Position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 703,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 27,614 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned approximately 1.06% of AptarGroup worth $110,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. CWM LLC boosted its stake in AptarGroup by 92.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 4.3% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $767,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,889 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $623,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in AptarGroup by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 131,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $21,125,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in AptarGroup by 266.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 879 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 639 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AptarGroup Price Performance

NYSE:ATR traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $147.13. 331,002 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 377,318. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.59. AptarGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $135.96 and a twelve month high of $178.03. The stock's 50-day moving average is $156.45 and its 200-day moving average is $158.94.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com cut shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America lowered shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $190.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.60.

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.