Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avient (NYSE:AVNT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

AVNT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price target on shares of Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Avient from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price target on Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Avient from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.00.

Avient Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AVNT opened at $42.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Avient has a 52-week low of $27.48 and a 52-week high of $44.85. The stock has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.78, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $35.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.87.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $760.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $750.19 million. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. Avient’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. Avient has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.810-0.810 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.930-3.170 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Avient will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 123.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avient

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVNT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Avient during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,457,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Avient by 697.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,442,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261,146 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Avient by 440.4% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,337,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,060,000 after buying an additional 1,089,744 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Avient by 147.1% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 799,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,980,000 after acquiring an additional 476,016 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Avient by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,781,000 after purchasing an additional 410,112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Company Profile

Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) is a global provider of specialized and sustainable polymer materials, delivering color, additive and engineered solutions to a wide range of industries. The company’s core offerings include masterbatches, colorant systems, compounds and resins designed to enhance performance, aesthetics and environmental sustainability. Avient serves markets such as packaging, automotive, consumer goods, healthcare, electronics, and agriculture, tailoring products to meet stringent regulatory and end-use requirements.

Formed through a corporate rebranding in 2020 following the divestiture of PolyOne’s specialty businesses, Avient traces its heritage to a legacy of polymer innovation spanning decades.