AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Trading Down 0.8% - Here's Why

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) dropped 0.8% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $146.73 and last traded at $146.72. Approximately 18,715 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average daily volume of 379,464 shares. The stock had previously closed at $147.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ATR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report 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 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 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.60.

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AptarGroup Price Performance

The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $151.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.93. The firm has a market cap of $9.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50, a P/E/G 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

Institutional Trading of AptarGroup

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 328.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,000. 88.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.