Norges Bank Takes Position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 740,072 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $116,265,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.11% of AptarGroup at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in AptarGroup in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in AptarGroup by 328.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in AptarGroup by 310.4% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in AptarGroup by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Down 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE ATR traded down $8.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $140.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 531,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 305,110. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $148.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.53. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $135.96 and a 1 year high of $178.03.

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AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. On average, equities analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.