Aviva PLC Sells 357,818 Shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)

Aviva PLC lessened its holdings in shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) by 46.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 417,079 shares of the company's stock after selling 357,818 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.06% of Avantor worth $8,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Avantor by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 188,900 shares of the company's stock worth $3,980,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Avantor by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,069 shares of the company's stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Avantor by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 99,825 shares of the company's stock worth $2,103,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in 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. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 765 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.08% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Avantor from $28.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed 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 dropped their target price on Avantor from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lowered their price target on Avantor from $23.00 to $18.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Avantor from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $25.08.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Steven W. Eck sold 4,907 shares of Avantor stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James Bramwell sold 3,758 shares of the business's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,531,753.87. This trade represents a 4.12 % 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.

Avantor Stock Performance

Avantor stock traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $15.44. 853,563 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,839,560. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $13.80 and a 12 month high of $28.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $16.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.44.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current year.

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.