Fisher Asset Management LLC Buys 3,102 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 11.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,275 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,102 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC's holdings in AptarGroup were worth $5,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 4,983.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of ATR traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $173.15. 117,313 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 289,936. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.29 and a 52-week high of $178.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.57. The company's 50-day moving average price is $166.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $153.79.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 24th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 10th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ATR shares. Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $195.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,639 shares of company stock valued at $5,960,841 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AptarGroup 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.