PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. $ATR

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 75.7% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 7,064 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $2,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 231.1% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 214.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in AptarGroup by 169.5% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AptarGroup Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:ATR opened at $136.19 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $8.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.32, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $122.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.56. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $103.23 and a 52 week high of $158.93.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $982.87 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $955.95 million. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 9.98%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 30th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is currently 32.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 3,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.61, for a total transaction of $400,328.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,049,253.58. This represents a 11.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Irene Elizabeth Hudson sold 1,264 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.43, for a total value of $156,015.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,480 shares in the company, valued at $182,676.40. This trade represents a 46.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America upgraded AptarGroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $173.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.80.

AptarGroup Profile

AptarGroup, Inc is a global provider of advanced dispensing, sealing and protection solutions for consumer and pharmaceutical markets. The company designs and manufactures a broad portfolio of products that enable the controlled delivery of liquids, gels, powders and aerosols. Its customer base spans beauty and personal care, home care, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors, where innovation in packaging and drug‐delivery devices drives brand differentiation and regulatory compliance.

In the consumer markets, AptarGroup offers pumps, actuators, valves, closures and specialized bottles engineered for precision, convenience and sustainability.