AlphaQuest LLC Increases Stock Position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 180.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,868 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,779 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $922,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ATR. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 0.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 131,875 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,125,000 after acquiring an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 42.5% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 4,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $689,000 after acquiring an additional 1,283 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 42.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the third quarter worth approximately $1,042,000. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AptarGroup Price Performance

AptarGroup stock opened at $150.62 on Tuesday. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $135.96 and a one year high of $178.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.38. The business has a fifty day moving average of $151.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $159.16. The company has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.56% and a net margin of 10.45%. As a group, analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

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.