Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Stock

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Avantor’s price target to $14 from $10 but maintained an “equal weight” rating, implying limited upside from the recent $13.77 share price. Analysts overall remain cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average target of $12.
• Avantor beat quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.21 versus $0.19 expected and revenue of $1.69 billion versus $1.61 billion. The company also issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $0.80–$0.83, above the current analyst estimate of $0.79.
• Despite stronger guidance and several analyst target increases, underlying growth remains subdued: EPS declined from $0.24 year over year, organic revenue fell 0.4%, and GAAP net margin remained negative. Institutional investors own approximately 95% of the stock, while two directors recently purchased shares.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $10.00 to $14.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 1.64% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on AVTR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $13.00 target price on shares of Avantor in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Avantor in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $10.50 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Avantor from $8.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price target on Avantor from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Avantor from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Avantor presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

Avantor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVTR traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $13.77. The stock had a trading volume of 8,385,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,811,083. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $10.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.41. Avantor has a 1-year low of $7.26 and a 1-year high of $15.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.06, a PEG ratio of 6.91 and a beta of 0.94. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.02. Avantor had a positive return on equity of 9.95% and a negative net margin of 8.42%.The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.24 EPS. The firm's revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Avantor has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.830 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Avantor will post 0.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Simon Dingemans acquired 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.14 per share, for a total transaction of $203,500.00. Following 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.32 per share, for a total transaction of $83,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 60,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $499,200. The trade was a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avantor

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Avantor during the 4th quarter worth about $268,584,000. Engine Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 65.8% in the first quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 19,780,830 shares of the company's stock worth $155,082,000 after buying an additional 7,853,018 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 179.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 17,468,418 shares of the company's stock worth $200,188,000 after buying an additional 11,216,565 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Avantor by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,178,716 shares of the company's stock worth $196,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,125,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Avantor by 15.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,894,649 shares of the company's stock worth $132,443,000 after acquiring an additional 2,288,053 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.08% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Avantor

Here are the key news stories impacting Avantor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings and revenue beat estimates. Avantor reported adjusted EPS of $0.21, ahead of the $0.19 consensus, while sales of $1.692 billion surpassed expectations of $1.61 billion. Revenue increased 0.5% year over year, and operating cash flow was $178.2 million, with free cash flow of $142.8 million. Avantor Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was raised above consensus. Avantor now expects fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $0.80 to $0.83, compared with analysts’ estimate of $0.79. The company also said it increased its organic revenue-growth guidance. Avantor Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target from $14 to $16 and maintained an “overweight” rating. The action signals increased confidence in Avantor’s earnings outlook and supports the post-earnings rally.
• Positive Sentiment: Shares gapped higher following the results. The stock opened substantially above its prior close, reflecting strong initial investor reaction to the earnings beat. Avantor Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies upgraded Avantor from “underperform” to “hold,” but assigned a $13 price target, below recent trading levels. This represents improved sentiment but limited near-term upside in its valuation view.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying growth remains subdued. Organic revenue declined 0.4%, and adjusted EPS fell from $0.24 a year earlier to $0.21. GAAP net margin remained negative at 8.42%, which could temper enthusiasm over the results.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market volatility is a risk. A sharp oil-price spike tied to escalating U.S.-Iran tensions pressured major equity indexes, potentially limiting gains in AVTR despite company-specific strength. Oil Surge and Market Selloff

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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