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

Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $13.80 and last traded at $15.93, with a volume of 15171297 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVTR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Avantor from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (down previously from $26.00) on shares of Avantor in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $29.00) on shares of Avantor in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Avantor from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Avantor from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.50.

Avantor Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $17.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.63.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 posted $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Avantor

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

Institutional Trading of Avantor

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Avantor by 99.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Avantor by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Avantor by 76.7% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Avantor by 56.3% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Avantor in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. 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.