Norges Bank Takes $41.46 Million Position in Avient Corporation $AVNT

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,327,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,457,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Avient in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Avient by 342.3% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 942 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 729 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avient during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Avient during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Avient by 83.1% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 560 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:AVNT opened at $34.47 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.28. Avient Corporation has a 12 month low of $27.48 and a 12 month high of $44.85.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $847.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.35 million. Avient had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 11.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. Avient has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.890-0.890 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.930-3.170 EPS. Analysts expect that Avient Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be issued a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AVNT. 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. Morgan Stanley set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Avient in a research note on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Avient in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.71.

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.