Royal Bank of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Stock Price

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) had its price target dropped by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 65.20% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also commented on AVTR. Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Avantor from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $29.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Avantor from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Barclays reduced their price target on Avantor from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Avantor from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.46.

Avantor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AVTR traded down $0.40 during trading on Monday, reaching $18.77. 2,704,222 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,111,776. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.47. Avantor has a 52-week low of $18.49 and a 52-week high of $28.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.77 billion, a PE ratio of 41.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 1.28.

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 4.54% and a return on equity of 12.24%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Avantor will post 0.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avantor

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Avantor by 99.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 625 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Avantor by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. acquired a new stake in Avantor in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Avantor by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 69.6% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the period. 95.08% of the stock is currently owned by 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.