Pacer Advisors Inc. Lowers Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Pacer Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 22.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,414 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,964 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $2,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in AptarGroup in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 312.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in AptarGroup during the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 79.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 598 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ATR shares. Raymond James assumed coverage on AptarGroup in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird upped 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. 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AptarGroup presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.60.

AptarGroup Price Performance

NYSE:ATR traded down $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $157.23. 834,143 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 247,379. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $128.05 and a 1 year high of $178.03. The company has a market cap of $10.46 billion, a PE ratio of 31.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $161.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.65.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup's payout ratio is 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program 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 buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In related news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by 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.