Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Stock Price

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR - Free Report) had its price target trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $180.00 to $170.00 in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the industrial products company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on ATR. Bank of America lowered 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. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Two 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.60.

AptarGroup Trading Up 1.3 %

ATR stock traded up $1.83 during trading on Monday, hitting $143.53. The company had a trading volume of 435,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 361,810. AptarGroup has a 52-week low of $134.57 and a 52-week high of $178.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $158.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.92, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. AptarGroup's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AptarGroup news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total value of $162,752.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ATR. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 120,634 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $18,952,000 after purchasing an additional 5,305 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 55.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,912 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $615,000 after buying an additional 1,394 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 2,187 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 407 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in AptarGroup by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 29,028 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,560,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.