J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Makes New Investment in Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG has acquired 37,362 shares of Avantor, Inc., valued at approximately $606,000, during the first quarter.
• Analysts have downgraded Avantor's target prices multiple times, with the consensus rating now at "Hold" and an average target price of $15.50.
• Insider purchases increased by 42.86% for Director Gregory L. Summe, who bought 30,000 shares at an average price of $12.50, bringing their total ownership to 100,000 shares.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 37,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $606,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Avantor by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 52,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $852,000 after purchasing an additional 7,039 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Avantor in the first quarter valued at approximately $567,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 85.5% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,135 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 5,133 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Avantor during the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, North Star Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Avantor by 8.5% in the first quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 256,635 shares of the company's stock worth $4,160,000 after acquiring an additional 20,053 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $12.00 target price on shares of Avantor and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Avantor from $17.00 to $14.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Avantor from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $23.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Avantor from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $15.50 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $13.00 target price (down previously from $15.00) on shares of Avantor in a research report on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Avantor currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $15.50.

Avantor Price Performance

Avantor stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $11.20. 11,027,515 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,262,598. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.96. The business's 50-day moving average is $13.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.98. Avantor, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.82 and a 12 month high of $27.83.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.01). Avantor had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 10.31%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. Avantor's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregory L. Summe acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.50 per share, for a total transaction of $375,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,250,000. This trade represents a 42.86% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Avantor Company 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.