Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) Price Target to $14.00

Avantor (NYSE:AVTR) had its target price lowered by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 52.42% from the company’s previous close.

AVTR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Bank of America cut shares of Avantor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Avantor in a research report on Thursday. Evercore set a $12.00 price target on shares of Avantor and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Avantor from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Avantor from $12.00 to $9.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.84.

Avantor Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:AVTR opened at $9.19 on Friday. Avantor has a 1 year low of $8.90 and a 1 year high of $18.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business’s 50-day moving average is $11.38 and its 200-day moving average is $12.21. The company has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Insider Transactions at Avantor

In related news, Director Gregory L. Summe bought 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.40 per share, for a total transaction of $940,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 400,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,760,000. This trade represents a 33.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sanjeev K. Mehra acquired 350,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.09 per share, with a total value of $3,881,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 350,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,500. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Avantor

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Avantor by 104.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 203,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,302,000 after buying an additional 104,022 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avantor by 40.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 5,075 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in Avantor during the 2nd quarter worth about $176,000. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Avantor by 6.5% during the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 463,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,242,000 after purchasing an additional 28,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Avantor by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 79,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 18,101 shares during the period. 95.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avantor News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Avantor this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director buys 100,000 shares — Long‑time director Gregory Summe purchased 100,000 shares at roughly $9.40, increasing his stake by ~33%, which can be read as management confidence and provides some near‑term support. Insider Purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo keeps an overweight rating (PT lowered to $14) — Analyst lowered the target from $16 to $14 but maintained an overweight stance, implying material upside from current levels and offering some buy-side rationale. Benzinga: Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 beat on adjusted EPS and revenue, but topline slipped year‑over‑year — Adjusted EPS of $0.22 beat consensus and revenue of $1.66B slightly topped estimates, yet sales declined y/y; mixed set that dampens enthusiasm despite the beat. Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company roll‑out plan detailed — Management presented a “revival” program (VWR relaunch, supply‑chain and e‑commerce initiatives) and slide deck — important for execution but unlikely to reverse near‑term headwinds immediately. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 guidance misses consensus — Management set FY2026 EPS at $0.77–$0.83, below street expectations, which is the primary driver of the selloff as it signals continued margin and revenue pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and margin concerns — Analysts and media highlighted margin compression and declining organic sales; headlines noted the shares plunged after the report. Zacks: Stock Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy put option buying — Unusually large put volume (≈48k contracts) signals elevated bearish sentiment and hedging activity, increasing downside risk and volatility. Options Flow
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP profit swing to a net loss — The move to a 2025 GAAP net loss underscores near‑term execution risk despite adjusted profit metrics; investors will be watching execution on the recovery plan closely. Yahoo: Profit Swing

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.