AVTR vs. DHR: Avantor vs. Danaher Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR) are both classified in the Life Sciences Tools & Services sub-industry within the broader Life Sciences Tools & Services industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Profile Item	AVTR	DHR
Name	Avantor, Inc.	Danaher Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Life Sciences Tools & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Life Sciences Tools & Services
Market Capitalization	10.48 billion USD	161.86 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 17, 2019	December 29, 1978
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AVTR

DHR

GSPC

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
Total Return (1Y)	36.41%	11.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-5.02%	6.67%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-16.62%	-2.05%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AVTR

DHR

GSPC

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.39%	30.61%
Beta (5Y)	0.94	0.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-82.42%	-43.31%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.56M	3.94M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AVTR and DHR are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	0.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.17	0.35

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Danaher (DHR) at 8.19% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Avantor (AVTR) at 5.91% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for DHR.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.91%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
AVTR: 5.91%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.19%

Max: 109.18%
DHR: 8.19%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Avantor (AVTR) at 5.08% and Danaher (DHR) at 16.91% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.08%

Max: 18.05%
AVTR: 5.08%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

16.91%

Max: 18.05%
DHR: 16.91%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Danaher (DHR) at 21.13% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Avantor (AVTR) at 8.19%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.19%

Max: 83.12%
Q3: 14.77%
AVTR: 8.19%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

21.13%

Max: 83.12%
DHR: 21.13%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
ROE (TTM)	5.91%	8.19%
ROA (TTM)	2.83%	4.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.08%	16.91%
Operating Margin (TTM)	8.19%	21.13%
Gross Margin (TTM)	31.59%	59.36%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Danaher (DHR) at 2.90% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Avantor (AVTR) at -3.41% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Danaher (DHR) at -4.54% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Avantor (AVTR) at -175.00% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-3.41%	2.90%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-4.46%	-2.67%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-175.00%	-4.54%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-19.44%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Avantor (AVTR) at 1.89 and Danaher (DHR) at 1.63 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.89

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
AVTR: 1.89
Min: 0.10

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.63

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
DHR: 1.63
Min: 0.10

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Avantor (AVTR) at 0.63 and Danaher (DHR) at 0.52 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.63

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
AVTR: 0.63
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.52

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
DHR: 0.52
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.89	1.63
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.63	0.52
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.40	2.68

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Avantor (AVTR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Danaher (DHR) reports a yield of 0.67%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

AVTR: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.67%

DHR: 0.67%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Avantor (AVTR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Danaher (DHR) reports a payout of 25.17%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

AVTR: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

25.17%

DHR: 25.17%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.67%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	25.17%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Avantor (AVTR) at 30.94 and Danaher (DHR) at 38.12 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

30.94

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
AVTR: 30.94
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

38.12

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
DHR: 38.12
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Avantor (AVTR) at 1.58 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Danaher (DHR) at 6.32 prices around its industry’s middle — AVTR costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.58

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
AVTR: 1.58
Min: 0.01

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.32

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
DHR: 6.32
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Avantor (AVTR) at 1.80 and Danaher (DHR) at 3.02 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.80

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
AVTR: 1.80
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.02

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
DHR: 3.02
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

Avantor (AVTR) vs. Danaher (DHR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and Danaher (DHR)
Metric	AVTR	DHR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.94	38.12
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.58	6.32
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.80	3.02
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.21%	2.93%