Avient (NYSE:AVNT) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.06 EPS

Avient (NYSE:AVNT) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.06, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $891.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $857.49 million. Avient had a return on equity of 11.64% and a net margin of 5.10%. The company’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Avient’s conference call:

• Avient reported adjusted EPS of $0.86, $0.06 above expectations, as organic sales rose 10.6% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA margin reached a third-quarter record of 17.3%, up 80 basis points, with adjusted EBITDA up 16%.
• Growth was broad-based, with Color, Additives & Inks organic sales up 8% and Specialty Engineered Materials up 15%; Asia grew 20%. Company volume increased only about 1%, while weaker European demand weighed on Color, Additives & Inks and transportation was roughly flat.
• The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $3.22–$3.32, adjusted EBITDA outlook to $593–$603 million, and adjusted free cash flow outlook to $215–$230 million. Management said the outlook still reflects uncertainty from persistent inflation and higher interest rates.
• New CEO Mike Frank said the strategy is working but identified opportunities to scale innovations faster, improve collaboration across segments, and optimize the supply chain and manufacturing footprint. He emphasized that it is early to quantify the timing or financial impact of these efforts.
• Strong cash generation supported another $50 million of debt repayment, bringing debt reduction over 18 months to $250 million; Avient expects year-end net leverage of 2.2–2.3 times. The company also began repurchasing shares in the fourth quarter, buying 281,000 shares for about $10.9 million.

Avient Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AVNT traded up $4.95 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.20. 683,553 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 820,129. The company has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.05, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $41.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.57. Avient has a 52 week low of $27.48 and a 52 week high of $49.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Avient Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2825 per share. This represents a $1.13 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This is an increase from Avient’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.2750. Avient’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AVNT. Wall Street Zen lowered Avient from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Avient in a research report on Monday, October 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Avient from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Avient from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Avient from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.38.

About Avient

Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT) is a global provider of specialized and sustainable polymer materials. The company develops, formulates and manufactures engineered materials, colorants, additives and performance-enhancing solutions used to improve the appearance, durability, processing and functionality of plastic products.

Its offerings include specialty polymer formulations, thermoplastic compounds, color and additive concentrates, advanced composites, barrier technologies and recycled or bio-based material solutions.