Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $17.14 and last traded at $17.73, with a volume of 7219151 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AVTR shares. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price (down from $26.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Avantor from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Avantor from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Avantor from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Avantor from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Avantor currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.92.

Avantor Stock Down 1.1 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $11.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $20.96 and a 200 day moving average of $22.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.01. Avantor had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 12.17%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avantor

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Avantor by 34.1% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 346,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,972,000 after acquiring an additional 88,205 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd increased its holdings in Avantor by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,766,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,228,000 after purchasing an additional 493,408 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Avantor in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,473,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Avantor during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $555,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in shares of Avantor by 45.8% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 723,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,708,000 after buying an additional 227,200 shares in the last quarter. 95.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avantor Company Profile

Avantor, Inc engages in the provision of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education and government, advanced technologies, and applied materials industries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers materials and consumables, such as purity chemicals and reagents, lab products and supplies, formulated silicone materials, customized excipients, customized single-use assemblies, process chromatography resins and columns, analytical sample prep kits, education and microbiology products, clinical trial kits, peristaltic pumps, and fluid handling tips.