Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on AVNT. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Avient from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on Avient from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avient has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.00.

Avient Stock Up 0.0%

AVNT stock opened at $42.53 on Friday. Avient has a 1-year low of $27.48 and a 1-year high of $44.85. The firm has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.78, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $35.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.87.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.01. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. The business had revenue of $760.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $750.19 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 predict that Avient will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Avient

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Avient during the 4th quarter valued at $41,457,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Avient by 697.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,442,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261,146 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Avient by 440.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,337,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,060,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089,744 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Avient by 147.1% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 799,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,980,000 after acquiring an additional 476,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Avient by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,781,000 after buying an additional 410,112 shares during the last quarter. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Avient

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.