GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) by 67.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in AptarGroup were worth $157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ATR. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of AptarGroup by 3.6% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank grew its position in AptarGroup by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased 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 valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 6.1% in the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 1,685 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 2.3% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 4,585 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $734,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.52% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 7,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total transaction of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ATR shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America cut shares of AptarGroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $173.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday. Finally, Raymond James started coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $190.60.

AptarGroup Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of ATR opened at $153.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.15. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.97 and a 12 month high of $178.03. The stock has a market cap of $10.24 billion, a PE ratio of 30.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $166.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.96.

AptarGroup declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 10th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

AptarGroup Profile

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.