AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.60.

AptarGroup Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE ATR traded up $2.13 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $144.90. 409,355 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 368,351. The company's 50-day moving average is $157.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.80. AptarGroup has a one year low of $134.57 and a one year high of $178.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.62. The company has a market capitalization of $9.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 10.45%. On average, analysts forecast that AptarGroup will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,157 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,268,000 after buying an additional 5,248 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 43.8% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 113,503 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $18,182,000 after buying an additional 34,573 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 5.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $245,444,000 after purchasing an additional 83,452 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 43.9% in the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 40,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,066,000 after purchasing an additional 12,271 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 29.4% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,106,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $337,502,000 after purchasing an additional 479,193 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.