Victory Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Avient Corporation $AVNT

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,591,723 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,272 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Avient were worth $52,447,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Channing Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Avient by 19.1% during the third quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,095,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,057,000 after purchasing an additional 335,670 shares during the period. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd increased its stake in Avient by 26.6% in the 3rd quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 319,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,536,000 after buying an additional 67,200 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Avient by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,084,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,730,000 after buying an additional 71,354 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Avient by 86.6% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 41,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,352,000 after buying an additional 19,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Avient by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,729,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,001,000 after buying an additional 376,667 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVNT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price objective on Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 target price on Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Avient presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Avient Trading Down 6.6%

NYSE AVNT opened at $36.48 on Friday. Avient Corporation has a one year low of $27.48 and a one year high of $44.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.66. The company has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.30.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last announced 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. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. The firm had revenue of $760.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $750.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 forecast that Avient Corporation will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 123.60%.

About Avient

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.