Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AVTR. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price target (down previously from $26.00) on shares of Avantor in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Avantor from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Avantor from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Avantor from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $29.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.92.

Avantor Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $11.78 billion, a PE ratio of 16.64, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.28.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company posted $0.22 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Avantor by 99.5% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Avantor by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Avantor by 69.6% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. 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.