AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) Short Interest Update

AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) saw a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 629,600 shares, an increase of 19.0% from the December 15th total of 529,200 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 279,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days.

AptarGroup Trading Down 0.2 %

AptarGroup stock traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $156.08. 231,872 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,875. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.62. AptarGroup has a fifty-two week low of $126.31 and a fifty-two week high of $178.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.34, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $164.26 and its 200-day moving average is $157.64.

AptarGroup announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 10th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to purchase up to 4.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Stephan B. Tanda sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.60, for a total value of $5,088,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,530,412.80. This represents a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kimberly Chainey sold 964 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.83, for a total transaction of $162,752.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,324,977.84. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AptarGroup

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of AptarGroup by 282.9% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after acquiring an additional 5,024 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 133,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,926,000 after buying an additional 1,325 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AptarGroup during the 4th quarter worth approximately $369,000. Finally, Albert D Mason Inc. raised its holdings in AptarGroup by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 10,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,611,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ATR shares. Raymond James started coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lowered 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. Dbs Bank raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AptarGroup from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $215.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of AptarGroup from $185.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AptarGroup presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.60.

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.