AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.05 EPS

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The industrial products company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.05, Zacks reports. AptarGroup had a return on equity of 13.31% and a net margin of 9.22%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $980.76 million.

AptarGroup Stock Up 2.8%

NYSE ATR traded up $3.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $130.78. 649,716 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 491,544. AptarGroup has a 1-year low of $103.23 and a 1-year high of $146.91. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.34.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AptarGroup news, CEO Gael Touya sold 3,740 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.76, for a total value of $500,262.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 29,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,892,683.52. This represents a 11.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Shiela Vinczeller sold 765 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.37, for a total value of $99,733.05. Following the transaction, the insider owned 26,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,430,425.81. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 23,197 shares of company stock valued at $3,134,828 over the last 90 days. 0.73% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ATR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on AptarGroup in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AptarGroup in a research note on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group started coverage on AptarGroup in a report on Friday, October 9th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised AptarGroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $173.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on AptarGroup from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.14.

AptarGroup Company 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.