Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Boosts Stock Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,513 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $1,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in AptarGroup by 328.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in AptarGroup by 310.4% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 591 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ATR opened at $140.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.96 and a 1-year high of $178.03. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.49. 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 earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 15.56%. Research analysts expect that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AptarGroup Company 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.