Renaissance Technologies LLC Buys 29,200 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. $ATR

Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 20.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 172,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 29,200 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $21,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 231.1% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 202 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in AptarGroup by 214.1% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in AptarGroup in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in AptarGroup in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in AptarGroup by 169.5% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 283 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on ATR. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America raised AptarGroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $173.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AptarGroup from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.80.

AptarGroup Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:ATR opened at $136.19 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $122.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.56. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12-month low of $103.23 and a 12-month high of $158.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 9.98%.The firm had revenue of $982.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $955.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 30th. AptarGroup’s payout ratio is 32.88%.

Insider Activity at AptarGroup

In other news, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 3,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.61, for a total value of $400,328.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,049,253.58. This trade represents a 11.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Irene Elizabeth Hudson sold 1,264 shares of AptarGroup stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.43, for a total transaction of $156,015.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $182,676.40. The trade was a 46.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.73% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Profile

AptarGroup, Inc is a global provider of advanced dispensing, sealing and protection solutions for consumer and pharmaceutical markets. The company designs and manufactures a broad portfolio of products that enable the controlled delivery of liquids, gels, powders and aerosols. Its customer base spans beauty and personal care, home care, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical sectors, where innovation in packaging and drug?delivery devices drives brand differentiation and regulatory compliance.

In the consumer markets, AptarGroup offers pumps, actuators, valves, closures and specialized bottles engineered for precision, convenience and sustainability.