Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning Reduces Stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning lessened its position in shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 34.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,735 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 901 shares during the quarter. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $250,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in AptarGroup by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,810 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,954,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 24,574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,037,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 2,846 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in AptarGroup by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 3,232 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Hedi Tlili sold 4,634 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.09, for a total value of $672,347.06. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,360,799.11. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other AptarGroup 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 transaction of $672,347.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,360,799.11. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marc Prieur sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.92, for a total value of $476,544.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,474,454.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,659 shares of company stock valued at $1,269,976. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ATR. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on AptarGroup from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of AptarGroup from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, William Blair raised shares of AptarGroup from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th.

AptarGroup Price Performance

ATR traded up $0.42 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $140.82. 4,371 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 298,710. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.99. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $111.63 and a 1 year high of $151.73. The company has a market cap of $9.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.13. AptarGroup had a net margin of 8.83% and a return on equity of 15.06%. The company had revenue of $915.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $897.40 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 25th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 24th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.19%.

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.