Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Stock Rating Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avient (NYSE:AVNT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning,Zacks reports.

AVNT has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group set a $44.00 price objective on Avient in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Avient from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Avient from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.71.

Avient Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:AVNT opened at $40.35 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.29. Avient has a 1-year low of $27.48 and a 1-year high of $46.64. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $41.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $917.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $898.53 million. Avient had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 11.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.80 earnings per share. Avient has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Avient will post 3.2 EPS for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.2750 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Avient’s payout ratio is presently 59.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Avient during the 2nd quarter valued at about $437,002,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Avient by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,973,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,546,000 after purchasing an additional 192,788 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Avient by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,781,000 after purchasing an additional 410,112 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Avient by 2.7% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,012,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,355,000 after purchasing an additional 78,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Avient by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,283,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,341,000 after purchasing an additional 11,801 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Company Profile

Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) is a global materials company that develops and manufactures specialized polymer products and solutions. Its portfolio includes engineered materials, specialty formulations, colorants, additives, inks, and other technologies designed to improve the performance, appearance, sustainability, and processing of plastics and other materials.

The company serves customers across a range of industries, including packaging, transportation, healthcare, consumer products, electronics, building and construction, and energy.