Acadian Asset Management LLC Cuts Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Acadian Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 733,971 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 42,496 shares during the quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned about 1.11% of AptarGroup worth $105,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,146,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $893,565,000 after buying an additional 53,625 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in AptarGroup by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,438,442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $177,820,000 after purchasing an additional 21,545 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in AptarGroup by 0.5% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,077,577 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $155,053,000 after purchasing an additional 5,089 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $89,855,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 666,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $82,398,000 after purchasing an additional 8,534 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ATR shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. William Blair raised shares of AptarGroup from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $163.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

AptarGroup Price Performance

AptarGroup stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $145.94. 251,235 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 252,779. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.50. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.71 and a 1 year high of $151.73. The company has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.30.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $915.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $897.40 million. AptarGroup had a net margin of 8.83% and a return on equity of 15.06%. On average, analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.35 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 25th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 25th. This is an increase from AptarGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is 35.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 4,634 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.09, for a total value of $672,347.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,360,799.11. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 4,634 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.09, for a total transaction of $672,347.06. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 9,379 shares in the company, valued at $1,360,799.11. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 825 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.77, for a total value of $121,085.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,812 shares in the company, valued at $1,293,337.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,659 shares of company stock worth $1,269,976. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.