AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Sees Large Volume Increase Following Strong Earnings

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) shares saw strong trading volume on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. 323,073 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 6% from the previous session’s volume of 304,686 shares.The stock last traded at $143.26 and had previously closed at $156.45.

The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 9.40% and a return on equity of 14.92%.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James started coverage on AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Dbs Bank upgraded AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $190.60.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In related news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AptarGroup

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 15,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,393,000 after acquiring an additional 3,802 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,465,000 after buying an additional 791 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 17,745 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,788,000 after buying an additional 2,857 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 180.9% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 5,868 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $922,000 after buying an additional 3,779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,418 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Trading Down 8.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $9.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $160.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.88.

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.