AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Stock Position Reduced by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lessened its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 4.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 108,693 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,617 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned about 0.16% of AptarGroup worth $17,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ATR. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 29.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,106,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $337,502,000 after purchasing an additional 479,193 shares during the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in AptarGroup by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,158,102 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $185,516,000 after buying an additional 82,934 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in AptarGroup by 1.9% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 953,950 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $152,813,000 after buying an additional 17,975 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 35.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 805,301 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $113,395,000 after buying an additional 212,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 9.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 716,617 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $100,917,000 after acquiring an additional 64,288 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ATR shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Dbs Bank upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $195.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, insider Gael Touya sold 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.62, for a total transaction of $500,346.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 32,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,876,857.30. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 1,660 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.15, for a total value of $250,909.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,423,698.65. This trade represents a 6.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,299 shares of company stock valued at $6,363,040. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AptarGroup Price Performance

NYSE ATR traded up $1.63 on Friday, reaching $171.51. 241,648 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 299,094. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.29 and a 12 month high of $178.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $164.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.01. The company has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.57.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.