EULAV Asset Management Raises Stock Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

EULAV Asset Management raised its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 25.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 288,125 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 58,599 shares during the period. AptarGroup comprises about 1.1% of EULAV Asset Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. EULAV Asset Management owned approximately 0.43% of AptarGroup worth $45,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,268,000 after purchasing an additional 5,248 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 113,503 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $18,182,000 after buying an additional 34,573 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 5.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $245,444,000 after buying an additional 83,452 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 43.9% during the third quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 40,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,066,000 after buying an additional 12,271 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 29.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,106,885 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $337,502,000 after acquiring an additional 479,193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Trading Down 8.4 %

NYSE:ATR opened at $143.26 on Friday. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $160.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.88. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $131.51 and a one year high of $178.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.77, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.59.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 14.92% and a net margin of 9.40%. As a group, analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.14%.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at $1,324,977.84. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on ATR. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Bank of America lowered 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. One analyst has 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.60.

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.