Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $15.10 and last traded at $15.17, with a volume of 3051682 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $15.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Avantor in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. 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 reduced their target price on Avantor from $22.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Avantor from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Avantor from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Avantor has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.50.

Avantor Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $10.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.00.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last released 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 net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 12.17%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Avantor

In other Avantor news, EVP James Bramwell sold 3,758 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Steven W. Eck sold 4,907 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 40,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $711,788.12. The trade was a 10.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avantor

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Avantor by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 188,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,980,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Avantor by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Avantor by 0.5% during the fourth 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. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Avantor by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Avantor by 99.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.