KeyCorp Weighs in on Avient’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:AVNT)

Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) – Research analysts at KeyCorp raised their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Avient in a report released on Tuesday, March 3rd. KeyCorp analyst A. Yefremov now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.82 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.79. KeyCorp has a “Sector Weight” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Avient’s current full-year earnings is $2.85 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Avient’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.90 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.62 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.08 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.36 EPS.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last released 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 analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business 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.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on AVNT. Wall Street Zen raised Avient from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Avient from $42.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Avient from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price target on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Avient currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.00.

Avient Trading Down 0.7%

Avient stock opened at $39.75 on Thursday. Avient has a 12 month low of $27.48 and a 12 month high of $44.85. The company has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.40. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $34.26. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 123.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Avient

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Avient during the fourth quarter valued at $41,457,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Avient by 440.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,337,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,060,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089,744 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Avient by 147.1% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 799,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,980,000 after acquiring an additional 476,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Avient by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,090,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,781,000 after acquiring an additional 410,112 shares during the period. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.