Portfolio Design Labs LLC Acquires 3,279 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Portfolio Design Labs LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 147.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,501 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,279 shares during the quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC's holdings in AptarGroup were worth $864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,157 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,268,000 after acquiring an additional 5,248 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AptarGroup by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 113,503 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,182,000 after purchasing an additional 34,573 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in AptarGroup by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $245,444,000 after purchasing an additional 83,452 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 40,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,066,000 after purchasing an additional 12,271 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 29.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,106,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $337,502,000 after purchasing an additional 479,193 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AptarGroup Price Performance

NYSE:ATR traded up $2.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $144.90. The company had a trading volume of 512,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 299,160. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $156.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $158.87. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $134.57 and a one year high of $178.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.62%. Analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup's payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.