Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) Short Interest Down 18.7% in February

Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,439,569 shares, a decrease of 18.7% from the February 12th total of 2,999,171 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 771,421 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 771,421 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days.

Institutional Trading of Avient

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Avient by 121.7% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 41,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 23,016 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Avient by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,442,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261,146 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Avient by 52.9% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 3,446 shares during the last quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its stake in shares of Avient by 119.1% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 35,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 19,343 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 476,016 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE:AVNT opened at $34.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $37.93 and a 200-day moving average of $34.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 38.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.40. Avient has a 52 week low of $27.48 and a 52 week high of $44.85.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 10.95% and a net margin of 2.51%.The business’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business 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. Analysts predict that Avient will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Avient’s payout ratio is 123.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVNT has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a report on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avient from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

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.