Franklin Resources Inc. Has $5.81 Million Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 47.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,956 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 32,714 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of AptarGroup worth $5,806,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $116,265,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter worth about $22,925,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,941,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AptarGroup by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $245,444,000 after purchasing an additional 83,452 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 598,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $94,076,000 after acquiring an additional 60,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of ATR traded down $0.21 on Tuesday, hitting $145.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 45,204 shares, compared to its average volume of 306,998. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $145.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.95. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.85 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The company has a market capitalization of $9.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59.

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

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ATR. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America cut shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $190.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.60.

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.