Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Upgraded at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Avient (NYSE:AVNT) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Avient from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Avient from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Avient from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Avient from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.38.

Avient Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AVNT opened at $38.79 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s 50 day moving average is $42.45 and its 200-day moving average is $38.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Avient has a 1-year low of $27.48 and a 1-year high of $46.64.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.07. Avient had a return on equity of 11.64% and a net margin of 5.10%. The business had revenue of $917.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $898.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Avient has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.800 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Avient will post 3.20 earnings per share for the current year.

Avient Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2825 per share. This is a boost from Avient’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2750. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $1.13 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Avient’s dividend payout ratio is 59.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avient

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Avient during the second quarter worth about $4,612,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Avient in the 2nd quarter valued at about $905,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new position in shares of Avient in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,597,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avient in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,803,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Avient in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,223,000. 95.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.