Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Given New $48.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised Avient’s price target to $48 from $47 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 5.8% upside from the prior close. The analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $46.71.
• Avient reported quarterly adjusted EPS of $0.96 versus the $0.89 consensus, while revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $917 million. Management also raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $3.10–$3.25.
• Shares gained 6.4% to $45.37, and institutional investors own 95.48% of the stock. Strong cash generation allowed Avient to repay $50 million of debt, with $100 million–$150 million in total debt repayment targeted for 2026.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $47.00 to $48.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price points to a potential upside of 5.80% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. UBS Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of Avient in a report on Monday, June 8th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Avient in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.71.

Avient Trading Up 6.4%

AVNT stock traded up $2.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $45.37. The stock had a trading volume of 180,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 824,072. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $36.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.97. Avient has a 1-year low of $27.48 and a 1-year high of $45.28.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.07. Avient had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 4.81%.The firm had revenue of $917.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $898.53 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Avient has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Avient will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Avient

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Avient by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,800,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,260,000 after purchasing an additional 70,978 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp bought a new stake in Avient in the 4th quarter worth $2,350,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its position in shares of Avient by 44.7% in the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,288,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,252,000 after acquiring an additional 397,787 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Avient in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,895,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Avient by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,218,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,223,000 after acquiring an additional 77,246 shares during the last quarter. 95.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Avient

Here are the key news stories impacting Avient this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Avient exceeded quarterly estimates. Second-quarter adjusted EPS rose 20% year over year to $0.96, topping the $0.89 consensus estimate. Sales increased 5.8% to $917 million, above the $898.5 million forecast, with 4.3% organic growth and favorable foreign-exchange effects. Avient Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results; Increases Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 earnings outlook. Avient now expects full-year adjusted EPS of $3.10 to $3.25, up from its prior range of $2.93 to $3.17 and representing approximately 10% to 15% growth from the prior year. The new midpoint is also above the roughly $3.08 analyst consensus. Avient Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results; Increases Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance also surpassed expectations. Avient projected adjusted EPS of $0.80, compared with the $0.74 consensus estimate, signaling continued earnings momentum into the next quarter.
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation is supporting balance-sheet improvement. Strong quarterly cash flow enabled Avient to repay $50 million of debt, with management targeting total debt repayment of $100 million to $150 million during 2026. Avient Corporation 2026 Q2 Results Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent Zacks commentary highlighted Avient’s value, dividend and relative sector performance, but these are general investment screens rather than new company-specific catalysts. Avient’s quarterly GAAP EPS was $0.70, while adjusted EPS was $0.96, making the adjusted results and raised guidance the primary drivers of investor optimism.

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.

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