Alerus Financial NA Sells 1,570 Shares of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Alerus Financial NA lowered its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 23,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,570 shares during the quarter. Alerus Financial NA’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $3,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,207,015 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,132,222,000 after buying an additional 58,777 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in AptarGroup by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,889,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $462,919,000 after acquiring an additional 14,001 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in AptarGroup by 13.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,864,198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $298,626,000 after acquiring an additional 214,097 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,515,288 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $245,444,000 after acquiring an additional 83,452 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth about $116,265,000. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Trading Up 0.5 %

ATR opened at $149.35 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $149.87 and its 200-day moving average is $158.65. The company has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.96, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.56. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $135.96 and a 1-year high of $178.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.24. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 15.56% and a net margin of 10.45%. Equities research analysts predict that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 5.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price (down previously from $200.00) on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com cut AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America cut shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on AptarGroup from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.60.

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.