Victory Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) by 29.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,106,885 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 479,193 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 3.17% of AptarGroup worth $337,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in AptarGroup by 3.6% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,361 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co raised its stake in AptarGroup by 6.1% during the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 1,685 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. raised its stake in AptarGroup by 25.0% during the second quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 500 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,058 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ATR traded down $0.48 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $175.67. 179,781 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 292,024. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $161.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.52. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.29 and a 1-year high of $178.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.57.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.14%.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan 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 reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on ATR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Dbs Bank upgraded AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $195.00.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, insider Xiangwei Gong sold 7,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.52, for a total value of $1,054,944.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,974 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,900,950.48. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Xiangwei Gong sold 7,200 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.52, for a total transaction of $1,054,944.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,974 shares in the company, valued at $1,900,950.48. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 44,735 shares of company stock valued at $7,285,268. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.