Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in Avient Corporation $AVNT

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its Avient stake by 1.3% in Q3 to 4,753,848 shares, representing about 5.19% ownership worth roughly $156.6 million.
• Avient slightly beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.56 vs. $0.55; revenue $760.6M vs. $750.2M) and gave guidance of Q1 2026 EPS 0.81 and FY2026 EPS 2.93–3.17, versus analysts' consensus near 2.85 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 (annualized $1.10, ~3.0% yield) with an ex-dividend date of March 17, despite a high payout ratio of about 123.6%.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT - Free Report) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,753,848 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 62,926 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 5.19% of Avient worth $156,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AVNT. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Avient in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Avient by 54.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 967 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Avient during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Avient by 32.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 5,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Avient in the 2nd quarter valued at $210,000. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avient Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AVNT opened at $36.66 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.19, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.40. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $37.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.29. Avient Corporation has a 12 month low of $27.48 and a 12 month high of $44.85.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $760.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $750.19 million. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. The business's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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 expect that Avient Corporation will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Avient's dividend payout ratio is presently 123.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Avient from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Avient from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Avient in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on Avient in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Avient 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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