Brokerages Set Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) PT at $42.50

Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $42.50.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $37.00 price target on shares of Avient in a report on Thursday, November 6th. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Avient in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th.

Avient Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Avient stock opened at $31.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.23. Avient has a 12-month low of $27.48 and a 12-month high of $44.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.01. Avient had a return on equity of 10.75% and a net margin of 3.49%.The business had revenue of $806.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $823.57 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Avient has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.770-2.870 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Avient will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avient Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This is a positive change from Avient’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avient

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVNT. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Avient in the third quarter valued at about $323,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Avient in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Avient in the third quarter valued at approximately $8,023,000. PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in Avient during the third quarter valued at $240,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its position in Avient by 962.3% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 379,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,492,000 after buying an additional 343,424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Company Profile

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.