AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Trading 0.4% Higher - Here's Why

Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) traded up 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $146.21 and last traded at $145.32. 20,604 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 95% from the average session volume of 375,019 shares. The stock had previously closed at $144.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America cut 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 reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $190.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report 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. According to MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.60.

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AptarGroup Price Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.54, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.38.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. Sell-side analysts expect that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. AptarGroup's payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at $116,265,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 33.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,481,563 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $389,854,000 after buying an additional 617,365 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 297.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 473,021 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $74,312,000 after acquiring an additional 353,935 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $22,925,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $21,941,000. Institutional investors own 88.52% 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.