Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $25.50.

A number of analysts have weighed in on AVTR shares. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price target (down from $26.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Avantor from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays decreased their target price on Avantor from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Avantor from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Avantor from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th.

Avantor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVTR opened at $16.53 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $19.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.94. Avantor has a fifty-two week low of $15.37 and a fifty-two week high of $28.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.01. Avantor had a return on equity of 12.17% and a net margin of 10.49%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.22 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Avantor will post 1.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avantor

In other Avantor news, CAO Steven W. Eck sold 4,907 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.53, for a total value of $86,019.71. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 40,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $711,788.12. This represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James Bramwell sold 3,758 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.53, for a total value of $65,877.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 87,379 shares in the company, valued at $1,531,753.87. The trade was a 4.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avantor

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Avantor during the fourth quarter worth about $302,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Avantor during the fourth quarter worth about $426,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Avantor during the fourth quarter worth about $5,712,000. American Trust raised its position in shares of Avantor by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. American Trust now owns 15,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 658 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Avantor by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 43,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 10,764 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.08% of the company’s stock.

About Avantor

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.