Cornerstone Capital Inc. Reduces Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Cornerstone Capital Inc. lessened its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 104,010 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 20,095 shares during the quarter. AptarGroup makes up about 1.7% of Cornerstone Capital Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Cornerstone Capital Inc. owned about 0.16% of AptarGroup worth $16,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATR. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in AptarGroup by 328.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in AptarGroup by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 462 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in AptarGroup by 310.4% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AptarGroup Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE ATR traded up $2.60 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $148.62. The stock had a trading volume of 536,977 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,051. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.85 and a 1-year high of $178.03. The company has a market capitalization of $9.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.83, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $145.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.94.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. On average, analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ATR shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James lowered their price target on AptarGroup from $190.00 to $175.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.60.

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.