Avient Corporation $AVNT Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors cut its Avient stake by 93.4% in the first quarter, selling 150,408 shares and retaining 10,549 shares valued at approximately $383,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 95.48% of Avient.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $46.71, while Avient shares recently opened at $45.46 near their 52-week high of $46.64.
• Avient exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.96 EPS and $917 million in revenue, up 5.8% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT - Free Report) by 93.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,549 shares of the company's stock after selling 150,408 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Avient were worth $383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Avient in the fourth quarter valued at $41,457,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Avient by 697.0% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,442,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,050,000 after buying an additional 1,261,146 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avient by 440.4% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,337,188 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,060,000 after buying an additional 1,089,744 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Avient by 96.0% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,411,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,229,000 after buying an additional 691,316 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted 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 worth $24,980,000 after buying an additional 476,016 shares during the last quarter. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on AVNT shares. Truist Financial raised their target price on Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price target on Avient in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $44.00 price objective on Avient in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Avient from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $46.71.

Avient Price Performance

NYSE:AVNT opened at $45.46 on Wednesday. Avient Corporation has a 52 week low of $27.48 and a 52 week high of $46.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $37.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.17.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $917.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $898.53 million. Avient had a return on equity of 11.64% and a net margin of 5.10%.Avient's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. Avient has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Avient Corporation will post 3.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Avient's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.46%.

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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