Voss Capital LP Reduces Stock Position in Avantor, Inc. $AVTR

Key Points

• Voss Capital LP cut its Avantor stake by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 422,210 shares and ending with 4.1 million shares valued at about $47 million.
• Analysts remain cautious on AVTR: the stock carries a consensus rating of “Reduce” with an average target price of $10.57, though a few firms recently issued or updated ratings.
• Avantor beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.17 versus $0.16 expected and revenue of $1.58 billion versus $1.54 billion expected, while insiders also bought shares in recent weeks.

Voss Capital LP reduced its position in shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,102,790 shares of the company's stock after selling 422,210 shares during the period. Avantor accounts for approximately 2.3% of Voss Capital LP's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Voss Capital LP owned 0.60% of Avantor worth $47,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AVTR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 119.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,187 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,189 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avantor during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 46.2% during 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 period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avantor during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 60.9% during 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 period. 95.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AVTR shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avantor from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Avantor in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Avantor from $8.50 to $7.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Avantor from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Avantor in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.57.

Avantor Price Performance

AVTR stock opened at $9.38 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $8.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.63. Avantor, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.26 and a 52-week high of $15.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.57, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Avantor, Inc. will post 0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Avantor

In other Avantor news, Director Simon Dingemans bought 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.14 per share, for a total transaction of $203,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $203,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.32 per share, with a total value of $83,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 60,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $499,200. The trade was a 20.00% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Avantor

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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