AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Sets New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $169.85 and last traded at $168.13, with a volume of 75638 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued 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 $190.00.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $156.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.14, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.58.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.01. AptarGroup had a net margin of 9.00% and a return on equity of 15.13%. The company had revenue of $910.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $930.15 million. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 24th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup's payout ratio is currently 38.63%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 1,375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.54, for a total value of $209,742.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,379 shares in the company, valued at $1,430,672.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Gael Touya sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.62, for a total transaction of $500,346.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 32,165 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,876,857.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Hedi Tlili sold 1,375 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.54, for a total value of $209,742.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 9,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,430,672.66. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 49,457 shares of company stock worth $7,314,030. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 111.0% during the second quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,075,168 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $151,394,000 after buying an additional 565,511 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 182.1% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 538,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $86,315,000 after purchasing an additional 347,800 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 35.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 805,301 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $113,395,000 after purchasing an additional 212,886 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in AptarGroup by 36.2% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 519,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,179,000 after purchasing an additional 138,134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in AptarGroup during the second quarter worth about $17,263,000. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.