AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Stock Holdings Raised by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 42,485 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 4,440 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $6,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ATR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AptarGroup during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 446.5% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 281.0% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 240 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in AptarGroup during the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in AptarGroup by 312.0% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total value of $162,752.12. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AptarGroup Stock Down 0.9 %

ATR stock opened at $170.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.32 billion, a PE ratio of 34.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $169.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.28. AptarGroup, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.29 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

AptarGroup declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 24th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is currently 36.14%.

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.