AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Trading Up 0.3% - Here's Why

Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) were up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $147.12 and last traded at $147.04. Approximately 35,400 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 375,370 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.64.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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AptarGroup Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $9.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.46, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.56% and a net margin of 10.45%. Equities analysts expect that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. AptarGroup's payout ratio is 32.49%.

Institutional Trading of AptarGroup

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 312.0% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 328.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company's stock.

About AptarGroup

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.