AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Shares Sold by GHP Investment Advisors Inc.

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 0.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,118 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 338 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AptarGroup worth $7,868,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 111.0% in the second quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,075,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $151,394,000 after buying an additional 565,511 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 182.1% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 538,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $86,315,000 after acquiring an additional 347,800 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 35.9% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 805,301 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $113,395,000 after purchasing an additional 212,886 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 36.2% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 519,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $73,179,000 after acquiring an additional 138,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $17,263,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:ATR traded up $2.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $168.91. 518,947 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 292,642. The firm has a market cap of $11.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.58. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $120.36 and a fifty-two week high of $169.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.92.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.01. AptarGroup had a net margin of 9.00% and a return on equity of 15.13%. The firm had revenue of $910.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $930.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program 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 purchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 24th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is presently 38.63%.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In related news, Director Monnas Giovanna Kampouri sold 1,922 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.43, for a total transaction of $277,594.46. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,839 shares in the company, valued at $1,276,616.77. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other AptarGroup news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 1,375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.54, for a total transaction of $209,742.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,430,672.66. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Monnas Giovanna Kampouri sold 1,922 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.43, for a total transaction of $277,594.46. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,276,616.77. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,457 shares of company stock worth $7,314,030. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ATR shares. Dbs Bank upgraded AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.00.

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.