The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases New Holdings in Avient Corporation $AVNT

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired 1.24 million Avient shares worth approximately $45.9 million, giving it a 1.35% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 95.48% of the company.
• Avient reported quarterly EPS of $0.96, exceeding the $0.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 5.8% year over year to $917 million. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.10–$3.25.
• Shares opened at $44.80, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $46.71. Avient also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share, representing a 2.5% yield.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,242,788 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,933,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 1.35% of Avient as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVNT. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Avient by 1.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 128,730 shares of the company's stock worth $4,782,000 after buying an additional 1,321 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Avient by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 53,760 shares of the company's stock worth $1,998,000 after acquiring an additional 2,341 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Avient by 294.8% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,340 shares of the company's stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 6,974 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Avient in the 1st quarter worth about $224,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Avient by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 297,976 shares of the company's stock worth $11,073,000 after purchasing an additional 10,535 shares during the last quarter. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avient Trading Up 0.4%

Avient stock opened at $44.80 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $39.29 and its 200-day moving average is $37.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.90. Avient Corporation has a 1 year low of $27.48 and a 1 year high of $46.64. The company has a market cap of $4.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.27.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $917.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $898.53 million. Avient had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 11.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Avient Corporation will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Avient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Avient's dividend payout ratio is 59.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $54.00 price target on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price objective on Avient in a report on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $44.00 price objective on Avient in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Avient from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $46.71.

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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