Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $44.82 and last traded at $44.67, with a volume of 170970 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $40.87.

The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. Avient had a return on equity of 10.75% and a net margin of 3.49%.The company had revenue of $760.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $750.19 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The firm’s 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.

Key Stories Impacting Avient

Here are the key news stories impacting Avient this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 adjusted results narrowly beat Street estimates — adjusted EPS of $0.56 vs. consensus $0.55 and revenue of $760.6M vs. ~$750M — driven by organic strength in Specialty Engineered Materials and productivity gains. Avient Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results; Initiates Full-Year 2026 Financial Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance materially above consensus — Avient set Q1 EPS at $0.81 (company) vs. consensus ~$0.65 — giving near-term earnings visibility that traders typically reward. Avient (AVNT) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation: operating cash flow of $302M in 2025 supported $150M of debt repayment, improving balance-sheet flexibility. Avient Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results; Initiates Full-Year 2026 Financial Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Company initiated FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $2.93–$3.17 (consensus ~3.04) — the range implies modest mid-single-digit growth over 2025 but leaves room for execution risk. Avient (AVNT) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results declined year-over-year — Q4 GAAP EPS $0.18 (vs. $0.52 prior year) and FY GAAP EPS $0.89 (vs. $1.84) — which highlights one-time items and lower reported profitability that could concern value-focused investors. Avient Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results; Initiates Full-Year 2026 Financial Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Top-line growth was modest (Q4 revenue +1.9% YoY) and benefited from ~3% favorable FX in the quarter, suggesting organic demand remains soft. Avient Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results; Initiates Full-Year 2026 Financial Guidance

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Avient from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on Avient from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avient

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HRT Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Avient in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $535,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Avient in the 4th quarter valued at $265,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Avient by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,781,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,363,000 after purchasing an additional 27,251 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Avient by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,134,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,450,000 after purchasing an additional 50,392 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Avient by 147.1% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 799,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,980,000 after purchasing an additional 476,016 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Stock Up 2.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a PE ratio of 33.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $34.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.46. 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 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.