Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC Sells 4,574 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. $ATR

Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC lessened its stake in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 3.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,613 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,574 shares during the quarter. AptarGroup makes up approximately 2.4% of Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC owned 0.19% of AptarGroup worth $14,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ATR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AptarGroup in the second quarter worth $768,464,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,504,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $189,581,000 after buying an additional 203,672 shares during the last quarter. Atlas FRM LLC purchased a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 2nd quarter valued at $83,884,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of AptarGroup by 42.6% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 538,554 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,868,000 after buying an additional 160,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 485,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,210,000 after acquiring an additional 32,420 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

AptarGroup Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:ATR opened at $142.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $126.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.19. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.95 and a 1 year high of $146.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $980.76 million. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 13.11% and a net margin of 6.69%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.62 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

AptarGroup Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from AptarGroup’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is 46.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group started coverage on AptarGroup in a report on Friday, October 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Monday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.14.

Insider Transactions at AptarGroup

In other news, CEO Gael Touya sold 3,740 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.76, for a total value of $500,262.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 29,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,892,683.52. This represents a 11.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 765 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.37, for a total transaction of $99,733.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 26,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,430,425.81. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AptarGroup Profile

AptarGroup, Inc (NYSE: ATR) develops and manufactures dispensing, sealing and delivery systems for the pharmaceutical, beauty, personal care, food and beverage markets. Its products are designed to control, protect and dispense a wide range of liquids, creams, lotions, fragrances and other formulations.

The company’s offerings include pumps, valves, closures, aerosol systems and other dispensing components, as well as drug-delivery technologies. Through its pharmaceutical business, Aptar supports nasal, pulmonary, ophthalmic, dermal and injectable applications, serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with components and systems used in prescription, over-the-counter and consumer health products.

Aptar serves customers internationally through manufacturing, research and development and commercial operations across North America, Europe, Asia and other global markets.