Geode Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 83,452 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.28% of AptarGroup worth $245,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in AptarGroup by 446.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in AptarGroup by 281.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new stake in AptarGroup during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective 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. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four investment 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $195.00.

AptarGroup Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of ATR stock traded down $1.44 on Friday, reaching $170.20. 153,215 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 287,437. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $169.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.49. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $11.33 billion, a PE ratio of 34.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.14%.

AptarGroup declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other AptarGroup news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value 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 approximately $29,530,412.80. This trade represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.