AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Position Reduced by Nuance Investments LLC

Nuance Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 65.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 85,622 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 159,015 shares during the quarter. Nuance Investments LLC owned 0.13% of AptarGroup worth $13,451,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in AptarGroup by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,268,000 after buying an additional 5,248 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $245,444,000 after acquiring an additional 83,452 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 282.9% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after purchasing an additional 5,024 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in AptarGroup during the third quarter valued at $1,310,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in AptarGroup by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of ATR stock opened at $147.01 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $150.16 and a 200-day moving average of $158.78. The firm has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 26.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.96 and a 12 month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. On average, equities analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America downgraded AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 6th. 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, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com cut AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.60.

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.