AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Trading Up 1% - Here's Why

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) shot up 1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $147.96 and last traded at $147.43. 41,898 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 375,282 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.94.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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AptarGroup Trading Up 1.1 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $152.03 and a 200 day moving average of $159.08. The company has a market capitalization of $10.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, 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 issued its quarterly 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 15.56% and a net margin of 10.45%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. AptarGroup's payout ratio is presently 32.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position 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 purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at about $67,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position 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. Hedge funds and other 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.