Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT) Shares Acquired by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Avient Co. (NYSE:AVNT - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 767,304 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,592 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.84% of Avient worth $31,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC grew its position in Avient by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 332,100 shares of the company's stock worth $13,570,000 after purchasing an additional 42,089 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in Avient by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 13,000 shares of the company's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in Avient by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 214,221 shares of the company's stock worth $8,753,000 after purchasing an additional 41,219 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Avient during the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Cim Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Avient by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,075 shares of the company's stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,889 shares during the period. 95.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Avient Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:AVNT traded up $0.93 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $33.60. The stock had a trading volume of 112,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 539,916. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's 50 day moving average is $37.54 and its 200-day moving average is $43.09. Avient Co. has a 1 year low of $27.86 and a 1 year high of $54.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.88.

Avient (NYSE:AVNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49. Avient had a return on equity of 10.44% and a net margin of 5.23%. Research analysts predict that Avient Co. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avient Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Avient's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AVNT. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Avient from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of Avient in a research report on Friday, March 14th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Avient to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Avient from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Avient from $55.00 to $39.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $48.60.

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.