Dudley & Shanley Inc. Raises Holdings in Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. boosted its position in Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,191,617 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 105,490 shares during the period. Avantor makes up approximately 3.0% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Dudley & Shanley Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Avantor worth $19,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AVTR. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Avantor by 59.6% in the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 18,869 shares of the company's stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 7,048 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Avantor by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,922,368 shares of the company's stock worth $40,504,000 after buying an additional 33,692 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Avantor by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,027,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,792,000 after acquiring an additional 74,735 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Avantor by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,069 shares of the company's stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Avantor by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 119,063 shares of the company's stock worth $2,509,000 after purchasing an additional 32,838 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.08% of the company's stock.

Avantor Price Performance

AVTR traded down $0.28 on Thursday, hitting $13.03. 3,497,686 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,572,521. Avantor, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.82 and a fifty-two week high of $28.00. The stock has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.61 billion. Avantor had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The business's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.22 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AVTR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Avantor from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $23.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. TD Cowen cut Avantor from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $15.50 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Avantor from $24.00 to $20.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Avantor from $21.00 to $17.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Cowen downgraded shares of Avantor from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Avantor presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Joseph R. Massaro purchased 8,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $12.30 per share, with a total value of $99,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,038 shares in the company, valued at $430,967.40. The trade was a 30.07% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory L. Summe acquired 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.00 per share, with a total value of $300,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 50,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $600,000. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 83,100 shares of company stock worth $1,027,630. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Avantor Profile

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.