AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Hits New 52-Week High at $148.51

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $148.51 and last traded at $145.86, with a volume of 41215 shares. The stock had previously closed at $140.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on AptarGroup from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of AptarGroup from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $125.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.59.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 9th. The industrial products company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. AptarGroup had a net margin of 8.16% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The company had revenue of $838.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $842.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. AptarGroup’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.21 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 24th. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 32,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.67, for a total value of $4,533,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 159,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,528,930.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Monnas Giovanna Kampouri sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.45, for a total value of $284,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,374,357.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 32,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.67, for a total value of $4,533,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,528,930.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 37,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,318,280. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 8,850.0% during the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 1,063.3% during the third quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in AptarGroup during the 1st quarter worth approximately $52,000. 88.52% of the stock is currently 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.