Avantor Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:AVTR)

Key Points

• Avantor saw unusually heavy options activity on Monday, with traders buying 15,522 call options — about 244% above the stock’s normal daily call volume.
• The shares rose 6.4% to $9.75 and have been the subject of mixed analyst sentiment, including recent downgrades; overall, analysts now rate the stock roughly "Reduce" with an average price target of $10.57.
• Recent fundamentals and trading signals were mixed: Avantor beat Q1 earnings and revenue estimates, while insiders purchased shares and institutional ownership remains high at 95.08%.

Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 15,522 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 244% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,510 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVTR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Avantor to an "underperform" rating and set a $7.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, June 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avantor from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Avantor from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Evercore set a $10.00 price target on shares of Avantor in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $8.00 price objective on shares of Avantor in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $10.57.

Avantor Stock Up 6.4%

Shares of NYSE:AVTR traded up $0.59 during trading on Monday, reaching $9.75. 6,738,573 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,794,216. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $8.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.67. Avantor has a 52-week low of $7.26 and a 52-week high of $15.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.31 and a beta of 0.97.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.01. Avantor had a negative net margin of 8.42% and a positive return on equity of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Avantor will post 0.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avantor

In related news, Director Simon Dingemans bought 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.14 per share, for a total transaction of $203,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $203,500. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.32 per share, for a total transaction of $83,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 60,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $499,200. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 160,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,287,950 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avantor

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVTR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Avantor by 119.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,189 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in Avantor by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,769 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Avantor in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Avantor in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Avantor by 60.9% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,810 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.08% of the company's stock.

Avantor Company Profile

Avantor, Inc NYSE: AVTR is a global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. The company delivers essential solutions that support research, development, production and safety applications. Its product portfolio spans from high-purity chemicals and reagents to biologics and cell culture media, as well as lab equipment, consumables and custom manufacturing services.

Avantor's offerings are organized across two primary segments.

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