Zuckerman Investment Group LLC Grows Holdings in Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)

Zuckerman Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) by 18.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,105,832 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 170,592 shares during the quarter. Avantor comprises 2.4% of Zuckerman Investment Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Zuckerman Investment Group LLC owned about 0.16% of Avantor worth $24,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVTR. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Avantor by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 188,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,980,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Avantor by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,069 shares of the company's stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Avantor by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 99,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,103,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Avantor by 99.5% in the 4th 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. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Avantor by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 138,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,917,000 after acquiring an additional 765 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.08% of the company's stock.

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Avantor Stock Performance

NYSE:AVTR traded down $0.38 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.18. The stock had a trading volume of 3,273,765 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,848,416. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.07. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.36. Avantor, Inc. has a twelve month low of $13.80 and a twelve month high of $28.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.60, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last announced 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AVTR shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 price target (down previously from $29.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Avantor from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Avantor from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup cut their price target on Avantor from $22.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Avantor from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $25.08.

Insider Transactions at Avantor

In related news, 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 value of $86,019.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 40,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $711,788.12. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James Bramwell sold 3,758 shares of Avantor stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.53, for a total value of $65,877.74. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 87,379 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,531,753.87. This trade represents a 4.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.