WCM Investment Management LLC Sells 16,113 Shares of Avient Corporation $AVNT

WCM Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Avient Corporation (NYSE:AVNT) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 424,550 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,113 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.46% of Avient worth $15,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Avient by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 868,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,603,000 after buying an additional 42,118 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Avient by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,800,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,260,000 after acquiring an additional 70,978 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Avient during the fourth quarter worth $1,895,000. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Avient by 44.7% during the fourth quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 1,288,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,252,000 after acquiring an additional 397,787 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp bought a new position in shares of Avient during the fourth quarter valued at $2,350,000. Institutional investors own 95.48% of the company’s stock.

Avient Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE:AVNT opened at $36.10 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $35.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.61. Avient Corporation has a 52-week low of $27.48 and a 52-week high of $44.85.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $847.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $846.35 million. Avient had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 4.81%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm 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, analysts anticipate that Avient Corporation will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Avient’s payout ratio is currently 63.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVNT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Avient in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group set a $44.00 target price on Avient in a report on Monday, June 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $43.00 target price on Avient in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on Avient in a report on Monday, June 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Avient currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.71.

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.