Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Price Target Raised to $14.00 at Morgan Stanley

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) had its price target upped by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $10.00 to $14.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 1.64% from the stock’s current price.

AVTR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avantor from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. UBS Group set a $8.00 price objective on shares of Avantor in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avantor from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Avantor from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Avantor from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $13.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Avantor Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of AVTR stock traded down $0.61 on Thursday, reaching $13.77. 8,385,723 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,811,083. Avantor has a 12-month low of $7.26 and a 12-month high of $15.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.76. The company has a market capitalization of $9.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.91 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $10.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.41.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.24 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Avantor has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.830 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Avantor will post 0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Simon Dingemans acquired 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.32 per share, for a total transaction of $83,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 60,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $499,200. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avantor

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Avantor by 119.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avantor in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Avantor by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Avantor by 60.9% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Avantor during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.08% of the company’s stock.

Avantor News Roundup

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

Avantor Company Profile

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.