Short Interest in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Decreases By 13.1%

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 526,700 shares, a drop of 13.1% from the January 15th total of 606,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 305,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

AptarGroup Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ATR traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $146.53. The stock had a trading volume of 283,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 374,464. The firm has a market cap of $9.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $154.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. AptarGroup has a twelve month low of $135.96 and a twelve month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. On average, research analysts predict that AptarGroup will post 5.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATR has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $190.00 target price (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $173.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.60.

Institutional Trading of AptarGroup

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATR. CWM LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 92.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,066 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,786 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $767,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,889 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $623,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 131,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $21,125,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 266.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 879 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Company 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.