Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) Short Interest Update

Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 26,990,000 shares, a drop of 6.1% from the January 15th total of 28,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,750,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.7 days.

Avantor Price Performance

NYSE AVTR opened at $17.73 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $21.16 and its 200-day moving average is $23.05. 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 $12.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.28. Avantor has a 12-month low of $17.14 and a 12-month high of $28.00.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Avantor will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVTR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Avantor from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $29.00) on shares of Avantor in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Avantor from $26.00 to $23.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (down previously from $26.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.92.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVTR. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted 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 acquiring an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Avantor by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Avantor by 69.6% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Avantor by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 1,074 shares during the period. 95.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.