Short Interest in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Expands By 19.0%

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 629,600 shares, an increase of 19.0% from the December 15th total of 529,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 279,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% during 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 during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 312.0% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $67,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 79.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 598 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on ATR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Bank of America cut AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James began coverage on AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $190.60.

AptarGroup Trading Down 0.2 %

ATR stock traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $156.08. The stock had a trading volume of 231,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 254,875. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.64. 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 firm has a market cap of $10.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.34, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.59. AptarGroup has a twelve month low of $126.31 and a twelve month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management 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.