Norges Bank Makes New $116.27 Million Investment in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 740,072 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,265,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.11% of AptarGroup as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in AptarGroup by 0.4% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 131,875 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,125,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 2.3% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 4,585 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in AptarGroup by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 196,584 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,491,000 after buying an additional 4,042 shares in the last quarter. PEAK6 Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 141.6% during the third quarter. PEAK6 Investments LLC now owns 3,501 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 2,052 shares during the period. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter valued at about $684,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ATR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price target (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America downgraded AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AptarGroup currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.60.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of ATR opened at $149.35 on Wednesday. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.96 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.96, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $149.32 and its 200-day moving average is $158.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.56% and a net margin of 10.45%. Equities analysts forecast that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is presently 32.49%.

AptarGroup 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.