North Star Asset Management Inc. Acquires 2,078 Shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR)

North Star Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 207,252 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,078 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Avantor were worth $4,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Avantor by 2,003.6% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Avantor by 1,830.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Avantor during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 203,100.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,032 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the period. Finally, MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Avantor during the 1st quarter worth $93,000. Institutional investors own 95.08% of the company’s stock.

Avantor Price Performance

Shares of AVTR opened at $25.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $23.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.20. Avantor, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.63 and a 1-year high of $28.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.35 billion, a PE ratio of 65.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.32.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Avantor had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 5.28%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Avantor

In other news, CAO Steven W. Eck sold 3,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.06, for a total value of $88,336.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,544 shares in the company, valued at $740,372.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on Avantor from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Avantor in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. Citigroup downgraded shares of Avantor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Avantor from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Avantor from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.40.

About Avantor

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.