M&T Bank Corp Makes New Investment in Avient Corporation $AVNT

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp opened a new position in Avient, purchasing 75,228 shares valued at about $2.35 million and now holds roughly 0.08% of the company.
• Avient slightly beat Q4 estimates with $0.56 EPS (vs. $0.55) and $760.6M revenue, and issued guidance of Q1 2026 EPS 0.81 and FY 2026 EPS 2.93–3.17 (analysts expect ~3.05 EPS).
• Several analysts raised price targets (Wells Fargo to $47, Baird $46, Morgan Stanley $45), but the consensus rating remains Hold with an average target price of $47.

M&T Bank Corp bought a new position in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 75,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,350,000. M&T Bank Corp owned 0.08% of Avient as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Avient in the third quarter worth $29,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Avient by 54.2% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 967 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Avient in the third quarter worth $40,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Avient by 83.1% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,234 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Avient in the third quarter worth $50,000. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AVNT shares. Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Avient from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Avient from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $47.00.

Avient Stock Down 0.8%

Avient stock opened at $36.85 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.40. Avient Corporation has a 1-year low of $27.48 and a 1-year high of $44.85. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $760.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $750.19 million. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.49 earnings per share. Avient has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.810-0.810 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.930-3.170 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Avient Corporation will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avient Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Avient's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 123.60%.

About Avient

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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