Trexquant Investment LP Invests $3.55 Million in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 22,604 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,551,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ATR. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AptarGroup by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 650 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in AptarGroup by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 961 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $154,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its stake in AptarGroup by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 16,683 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,621,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in AptarGroup by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 18,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,906,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,079 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. 88.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AptarGroup Stock Down 5.8 %

NYSE:ATR opened at $140.09 on Monday. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 52 week low of $135.96 and a 52 week high of $178.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

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

AptarGroup Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 5th. AptarGroup’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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