Nuance Investments LLC Sells 64,168 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Nuance Investments LLC reduced its position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 20.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 244,637 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 64,168 shares during the period. AptarGroup makes up about 1.3% of Nuance Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $39,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 446.5% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new position in AptarGroup in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in AptarGroup by 4,983.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert Kuhn sold 200 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.18, for a total transaction of $30,036.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,844,599.36. The trade was a 0.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,499 shares of company stock valued at $6,393,076 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATR opened at $166.90 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $163.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $152.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.57. AptarGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.29 and a twelve month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.14%.

AptarGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 10th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.