Legal & General Group Plc Acquires Shares of 124,784 Avient Corporation $AVNT

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 124,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,612,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.14% of Avient at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Avient during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,933,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Avient during the second quarter worth about $179,000. Cullen Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Avient during the second quarter valued at about $1,013,000. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Avient during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $530,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Avient during the second quarter worth $358,000. 95.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avient Stock Down 1.3%

AVNT opened at $43.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.29. Avient Corporation has a one year low of $27.48 and a one year high of $46.64. The business’s fifty day moving average is $40.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.90.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.07. Avient had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 11.64%. The company had revenue of $917.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $898.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Avient has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.800-0.800 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Avient Corporation will post 3.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on AVNT shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Avient from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 price objective on Avient in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 target price on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Avient from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avient has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.71.

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.