Kinney Asset Management LLC Grows Stake in Avantor, Inc. $AVTR

Kinney Asset Management LLC increased its position in Avantor, Inc. (NYSE:AVTR) by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,845,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 470,000 shares during the period. Avantor accounts for approximately 34.3% of Kinney Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Kinney Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Avantor were worth $23,026,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighVista Strategies LLC bought a new position in Avantor in the third quarter worth approximately $2,152,000. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Avantor by 278.0% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,493,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,561,000 after acquiring an additional 4,040,154 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Avantor by 99.4% during the third quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 1,047,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,073,000 after purchasing an additional 522,283 shares during the period. Dean Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Avantor in the 3rd quarter worth $1,153,000. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 6,196,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,335,000 after purchasing an additional 99,466 shares in the last quarter. 95.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avantor Trading Up 0.5%

Avantor stock opened at $7.94 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.18, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.97. Avantor, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.82 and a fifty-two week high of $17.11. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $10.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.78.

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.01. Avantor had a positive return on equity of 10.45% and a negative net margin of 8.09%.The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.27 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Avantor has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.770-0.830 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Avantor, Inc. will post 1.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Avantor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $11.00 price objective on Avantor in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Avantor in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $10.50 price objective on shares of Avantor in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of Avantor in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Avantor presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avantor

In related news, Director Sanjeev K. Mehra bought 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.01 per share, for a total transaction of $1,001,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 475,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,804,750. This trade represents a 35.71% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gregory T. Lucier purchased 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.16 per share, for a total transaction of $458,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $458,000. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased a total of 275,000 shares of company stock worth $2,399,250 over the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by 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.