AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 756,500 shares, an increase of 25.0% from the February 13th total of 605,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 358,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company's shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ATR. Bank of America cut 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. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company 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 research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of AptarGroup from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.60.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,977 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 3.3% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,028 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $162,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company's stock.

AptarGroup Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of ATR stock traded down $0.13 on Friday, hitting $145.07. The stock had a trading volume of 601,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 290,828. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. AptarGroup has a one year low of $135.96 and a one year high of $178.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $150.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $158.78. The company has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a PE ratio of 26.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. Research analysts anticipate that AptarGroup will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.49%.

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.