Zacks Research Has Negative Forecast for Avantor Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for Avantor to $0.17 (from $0.20) and assigned a Strong Sell rating, while projecting FY2026 EPS of $0.81 versus a consensus full‑year estimate of $1.06.
• Several analysts have trimmed price targets (e.g., Barclays to $9, Evercore $10, Citi $11) and the stock trades near a one‑year low (~$8.52), with MarketBeat showing an average target of $11.83 and an overall “Hold” consensus.
• Despite the downgrades, two directors made sizable insider purchases in February (100,000 shares at $9.40 and 50,000 at $9.16), and Avantor posted a slight EPS beat last quarter and set FY2026 guidance of $0.77–$0.83.

Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Avantor in a research note issued on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.17 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.20. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Avantor's current full-year earnings is $1.06 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Avantor's Q2 2026 earnings at $0.20 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.21 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.81 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.21 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.16 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.23 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.22 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $0.82 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $0.84 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Evercore set a $10.00 price objective on Avantor in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Avantor from $12.00 to $9.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Avantor in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Avantor from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $11.00 target price on Avantor in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.83.

Avantor Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:AVTR opened at $8.52 on Friday. Avantor has a 1 year low of $8.41 and a 1 year high of $18.02. The company has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of -10.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.18. The stock's 50-day moving average is $10.76 and its 200 day moving average is $11.89.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Avantor had a negative net margin of 8.09% and a positive return on equity of 10.45%. The company's revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. Avantor has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.770-0.830 EPS.

Insider Activity at Avantor

In related news, Director Gregory L. Summe acquired 100,000 shares of Avantor stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $9.40 per share, with a total value of $940,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 400,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,760,000. This represents a 33.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier acquired 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.16 per share, with a total value of $458,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 50,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $458,000. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avantor

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AVTR. Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in shares of Avantor by 0.3% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 117,746,888 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,469,481,000 after purchasing an additional 313,404 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Avantor by 1.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,988,977 shares of the company's stock valued at $823,542,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135,279 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its position in Avantor by 10.8% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 34,548,129 shares of the company's stock worth $431,161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,356,861 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Avantor during the 4th quarter valued at about $268,584,000. Finally, Greenhaven Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Avantor by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 20,500,653 shares of the company's stock worth $234,937,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189,083 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.08% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.