Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Hits New 12-Month High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $44.82 and last traded at $44.67, with a volume of 170970 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.87.

The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $760.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $750.19 million. Avient had a return on equity of 10.75% and a net margin of 3.49%.The business’s revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. Avient has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.810-0.810 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.930-3.170 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AVNT. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Avient from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on Avient from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Institutional Trading of Avient

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in Avient by 7.0% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,084,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,730,000 after purchasing an additional 71,354 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Avient by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,729,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,001,000 after purchasing an additional 376,667 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Avient by 86.6% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 41,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,352,000 after buying an additional 19,412 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its stake in Avient by 45.7% during the second quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 36,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,189,000 after buying an additional 11,542 shares during the period. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Avient in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $429,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.32, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $33.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.40.

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.