AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $130.85 and last traded at $132.88, with a volume of 23935 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $140.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America cut shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AptarGroup has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.60.

AptarGroup Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.33, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business’s 50 day moving average is $148.57 and its 200-day moving average is $158.53.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given 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 1.34%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATR. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in AptarGroup by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,028 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $162,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 16,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,621,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its position in AptarGroup by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,906,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

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.