AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Receives $189.50 Average Target Price from Analysts

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $190.60.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ATR shares. Bank of America downgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James assumed coverage on AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ATR opened at $153.67 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $165.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.96. AptarGroup has a 52-week low of $124.94 and a 52-week high of $178.03. The company has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a PE ratio of 30.86, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.59. 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 of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 4.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AptarGroup news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AptarGroup

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in AptarGroup by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 14,157 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,268,000 after acquiring an additional 5,248 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in shares of AptarGroup by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,334 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 21,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,386,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in AptarGroup by 28.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 69,670 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,648,000 after buying an additional 15,244 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.