Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Makes New $299,000 Investment in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 1,906 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $299,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in AptarGroup by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 3.3% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 2.3% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 3,315 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $531,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in AptarGroup by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in AptarGroup by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 4,585 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AptarGroup Stock Performance

AptarGroup stock opened at $157.00 on Thursday. AptarGroup, Inc. has a twelve month low of $128.05 and a twelve month 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. The company has a market capitalization of $10.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $162.42 and its 200 day moving average is $158.47.

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

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 dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is presently 36.14%.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total value of $162,752.12. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.