GW&K Investment Management LLC Acquires 144,982 Shares of Avient Corporation $AVNT

GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,304,781 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 144,982 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Avient were worth $42,993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Avient by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,753,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,637,000 after acquiring an additional 62,926 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Avient by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,252,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,797,000 after purchasing an additional 19,813 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Avient by 19.1% during the third quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,095,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,057,000 after purchasing an additional 335,670 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Avient by 27.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,729,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,001,000 after purchasing an additional 376,667 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Avient by 8.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,591,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,447,000 after purchasing an additional 121,272 shares during the period. 95.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avient Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of AVNT opened at $39.75 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $37.29 and its 200 day moving average is $34.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Avient Corporation has a 12-month low of $27.48 and a 12-month high of $44.85. The company has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a PE ratio of 44.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.40.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $760.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $750.19 million. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. The company’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. Research analysts expect that Avient Corporation will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Avient’s payout ratio is currently 123.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Monday, December 29th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avient in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.00.

Avient 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.