Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $962,000 in Avient Corporation $AVNT

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 26,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Avient during the fourth quarter worth about $41,457,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Avient by 697.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,442,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261,146 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Avient by 440.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,337,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,060,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089,744 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Avient by 147.1% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 799,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,980,000 after purchasing an additional 476,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 410,112 shares during the period. 95.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Avient Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AVNT opened at $37.29 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $35.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $847.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $846.35 million. Avient had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 4.81%.Avient’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.76 EPS. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Avient Corporation will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 18th. Avient’s payout ratio is 63.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on AVNT. UBS Group set a $44.00 target price on shares of Avient in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Avient in a research note on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Avient in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 target price on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, May 8th. 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.71.

Avient 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.