Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Shares Down 7.1% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) fell 7.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $35.24 and last traded at $35.38. Approximately 406,930 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 834,835 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price objective on shares of Avient in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of Avient in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Avient in a report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avient has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.71.

Avient Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.30. The company has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Avient Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 18th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Avient’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.95%.

Institutional Trading of Avient

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVNT. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in Avient by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Avient by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its holdings in shares of Avient by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 2,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Avient by 1.8% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 22,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $799,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Avient by 51.9% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. 95.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avient Company Profile

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.