Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

AVNT has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price target on Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Avient from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $46.00 price objective on Avient in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.00.

Avient Stock Performance

AVNT opened at $42.53 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $35.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.88. Avient has a 52-week low of $27.48 and a 52-week high of $44.85.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. Avient had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 10.95%. The company had revenue of $760.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $750.19 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. Avient’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Avient has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.810-0.810 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.930-3.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Avient will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Avient

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVNT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Avient by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,218,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,223,000 after purchasing an additional 77,246 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Avient by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,781,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,363,000 after buying an additional 27,251 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Avient by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,781,000 after buying an additional 410,112 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Avient by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,283,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,341,000 after buying an additional 11,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Avient by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,102,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,697,000 after buying an additional 7,161 shares in the last quarter. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.