AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Shares Acquired by First Financial Bank Trust Division

First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 21,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $3,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATR. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 69,670 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,648,000 after purchasing an additional 15,244 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in AptarGroup by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 18,492 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,962,000 after purchasing an additional 2,091 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in AptarGroup in the third quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in AptarGroup by 15.3% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 8,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,324,000 after buying an additional 1,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in AptarGroup by 5.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $245,444,000 after buying an additional 83,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

AptarGroup Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE:ATR traded down $2.94 on Thursday, reaching $154.16. The stock had a trading volume of 239,349 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,759. The company has a 50-day moving average of $168.04 and a 200 day moving average of $156.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $10.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.37 and a 12-month high of $178.03.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.14%.

AptarGroup declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.