Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Stock Price

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) had its target price cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $25.00 to $22.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Avantor from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Avantor from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $25.00 target price (down previously from $29.00) on shares of Avantor in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Avantor from $22.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Avantor in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avantor currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.82.

Avantor Price Performance

Shares of Avantor stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $15.30. 8,477,898 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,955,740. The firm has a market cap of $10.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.00. Avantor has a 52 week low of $13.80 and a 52 week high of $28.00. 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 (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.01. Avantor had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 12.17%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.22 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Avantor will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $86,019.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 40,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $711,788.12. This trade represents a 10.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP James Bramwell sold 3,758 shares of the 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 $65,877.74. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 87,379 shares in the company, valued at $1,531,753.87. The trade was a 4.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVTR. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Avantor by 76.7% in the fourth 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. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Avantor in the 4th quarter worth $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.