Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT) Shares Sold by Fiera Capital Corp

Fiera Capital Corp decreased its stake in Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 625,232 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,079 shares during the quarter. Fiera Capital Corp owned approximately 0.68% of Avient worth $25,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AVNT. Choreo LLC raised its holdings in Avient by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 5,812 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. grew its position in shares of Avient by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 5,164 shares of the company's stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Avient by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,825,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,581,000 after purchasing an additional 128,718 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Avient by 47.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,090 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Avient in the fourth quarter worth approximately $225,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.48% of the company's stock.

Avient Stock Performance

Shares of AVNT traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $43.02. 775,739 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 482,740. The business's 50-day moving average price is $42.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Avient Co. has a twelve month low of $37.63 and a twelve month high of $54.68. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.51.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49. Avient had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 4.66%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Avient Co. will post 2.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avient Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Avient's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on AVNT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Avient from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Avient from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $54.00.

About Avient

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.