Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) Short Interest Up 26.1% in March

Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 3,075,230 shares, an increase of 26.1% from the February 26th total of 2,439,569 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 681,946 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avient

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Avient during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Avient by 342.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Avient by 54.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 967 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avient in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Avient during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Avient Trading Up 1.2%

AVNT stock traded up $0.44 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $36.74. 13,500 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 870,783. 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 50-day moving average of $37.96 and a 200-day moving average of $33.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.40. Avient has a 1 year low of $27.48 and a 1 year high of $44.85.

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

Avient Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Avient’s payout ratio is currently 123.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVNT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avient from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.00.

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.