AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Stock Price Up 1% – What’s Next?

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) shares were up 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $147.96 and last traded at $147.43. Approximately 41,898 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 375,282 shares. The stock had previously closed at $145.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ATR. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America downgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AptarGroup has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.60.

AptarGroup Stock Up 1.9 %

The company has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a PE ratio of 26.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $152.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.09.

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

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Huntington National Bank raised its position in AptarGroup by 312.0% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in AptarGroup by 328.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.