Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Invests $1.28 Million in Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 31,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,280,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avient by 56.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Avient by 44.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Avient during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Avient by 185.5% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avient in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,000. 95.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Avient Stock Performance

Shares of AVNT stock opened at $41.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.15. Avient Co. has a one year low of $37.63 and a one year high of $54.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. Avient had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 5.23%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Avient Co. will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Avient’s dividend payout ratio is 59.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Avient from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Avient from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Avient from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Avient Company Profile

Avient Corporation operates as a formulator of material solutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and Asia. It operates in two segments, Color, Additives and Inks; and Specialty Engineered Materials. The Color, Additives and Inks segment offers custom color and additive concentrates in solid and liquid form for thermoplastics, dispersions for thermosets, and specialty inks; custom-formulated liquid system, such as polyester, vinyl, natural rubber and latex, polyurethane, and silicone; and proprietary inks.