Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Stock Price

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird raised Avantor’s price target from $17 to $18 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying about 8.33% upside from the reported $16.62 share price.
• Avantor exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.70 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $0.22, while revenue increased 4.6% year over year. However, analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $14.16.
• Institutional investors own approximately 95.08% of Avantor’s shares, indicating substantial participation from hedge funds and other large investors.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $17.00 to $18.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.33% from the stock's current price.

AVTR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Avantor from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Avantor in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avantor from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Avantor from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $13.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Avantor from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $14.16.

Avantor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AVTR opened at $16.62 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.78. Avantor has a 1 year low of $7.26 and a 1 year high of $17.45. The company's fifty day moving average price is $15.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.20. The company has a market capitalization of $11.24 billion, a PE ratio of -19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.94.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.01. Avantor had a positive return on equity of 9.92% and a negative net margin of 8.81%. The company had revenue of $1.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. Avantor's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Avantor will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avantor

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in Avantor by 1,599.7% during the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 5,235 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 4,927 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Avantor by 72.3% in the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 1,176 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avantor during the third quarter worth about $57,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Avantor by 901.4% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,858 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 5,273 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 21.4% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 8,452 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,491 shares during the period. 95.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Avantor

Here are the key news stories impacting Avantor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Avantor reported third-quarter net sales of $1.698 billion, up 4.6% year over year, with organic growth of 5.2%. Revenue exceeded the $1.64 billion consensus estimate, while adjusted EPS of $0.22 topped expectations by $0.01. Avantor Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Both major business segments returned to growth, supporting the company’s outlook and suggesting improving demand across its life sciences and advanced technology markets. Avantor Q3 2026 Earnings: Revenue Beats Estimates as Both Segments Return to Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year 2026 organic revenue-growth, adjusted EPS and free-cash-flow guidance, a potentially important catalyst for earnings estimates and investor confidence. Avantor Reports Third-Quarter and Nine-Month Results
• Neutral Sentiment: GAAP diluted EPS was $0.30, but the company remained unprofitable on a net-margin basis, which may limit the market’s reaction to the adjusted earnings beat.
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays reiterated a Sell rating and a $15 price target. That target is below the stock’s recent trading range and may reinforce concerns that the shares have moved ahead of near-term fundamentals. Barclays Keeps Sell Rating for Avantor

About Avantor

Avantor, Inc is a global provider of mission-critical products and services used in the life sciences, healthcare, education, and advanced technology industries. The company supplies chemicals, reagents, laboratory consumables, equipment, and other materials used in research, development, manufacturing, and quality-control activities.

Avantor also provides specialized solutions for biopharmaceutical production, including materials and services that support drug development, biologics manufacturing, and other bioprocessing applications.

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