Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT) Stock Holdings Increased by Premier Fund Managers Ltd

Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its holdings in Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT) by 97.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,894 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,811 shares during the quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd’s holdings in Avient were worth $1,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Avient by 56.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 695 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Avient by 44.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Avient in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avient during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Finally, Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Avient during the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 95.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Baird R W raised Avient to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Avient in a research note on Friday, March 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Avient from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Avient from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Avient from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.80.

Avient Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of AVNT opened at $38.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Avient Co. has a 1-year low of $37.49 and a 1-year high of $54.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $41.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.36.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. Avient had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 10.44%. Analysts expect that Avient Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Avient Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.02%.

Avient Company Profile

Avient Corporation operates as a formulator of material solutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and Asia. It operates in two segments, Color, Additives and Inks; and Specialty Engineered Materials. The Color, Additives and Inks segment offers custom color and additive concentrates in solid and liquid form for thermoplastics, dispersions for thermosets, and specialty inks; custom-formulated liquid system, such as polyester, vinyl, natural rubber and latex, polyurethane, and silicone; and proprietary inks.