Eagle Asset Management Inc. Has $7.07 Million Stock Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 43.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 40,202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,271 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $7,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 4,983.3% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Dbs Bank raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AptarGroup from $168.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, insider Gael Touya sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.62, for a total transaction of $500,346.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 32,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,876,857.30. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at $29,530,412.80. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 35,639 shares of company stock worth $5,960,841 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of ATR stock opened at $171.51 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $164.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.01. AptarGroup, Inc. has a one year low of $122.29 and a one year high of $178.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.14%.

AptarGroup declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to buy up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board 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.