AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $146.91 and last traded at $146.4160, with a volume of 100,083 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $142.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ATR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.14.

AptarGroup Stock Down 1.0%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $126.64 and a 200 day moving average of $127.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $9.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.33.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $980.76 million. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 13.11% and a net margin of 6.69%. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from AptarGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 48.54%.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other AptarGroup news, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 765 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.37, for a total value of $99,733.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 26,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,430,425.81. This represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Gael Touya sold 3,740 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.76, for a total transaction of $500,262.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 29,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,892,683.52. The trade was a 11.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.73% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the second quarter worth about $768,464,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,504,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $189,581,000 after acquiring an additional 203,672 shares in the last quarter. Atlas FRM LLC bought a new stake in AptarGroup in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $83,884,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 42.6% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 538,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,868,000 after acquiring an additional 160,763 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in AptarGroup by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 485,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,210,000 after acquiring an additional 32,420 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Company Profile

AptarGroup, Inc (NYSE: ATR) develops and manufactures dispensing, sealing and delivery systems for the pharmaceutical, beauty, personal care, food and beverage markets. Its products are designed to control, protect and dispense a wide range of liquids, creams, lotions, fragrances and other formulations.

The company’s offerings include pumps, valves, closures, aerosol systems and other dispensing components, as well as drug-delivery technologies. Through its pharmaceutical business, Aptar supports nasal, pulmonary, ophthalmic, dermal and injectable applications, serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with components and systems used in prescription, over-the-counter and consumer health products.

Aptar serves customers internationally through manufacturing, research and development and commercial operations across North America, Europe, Asia and other global markets.