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Avient (AVNT) Could Be a Great Choice

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Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.

Avient in Focus

Headquartered in Avon Lake, Avient (AVNT - Free Report) is a Basic Materials stock that has seen a price change of 10.13% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $0.26 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.25%. In comparison, the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield is 1.91%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.59%.

In terms of dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1.03 is up 3% from last year. In the past five-year period, Avient has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.56%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Avient's payout ratio is 42%, which means it paid out 42% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Looking at this fiscal year, AVNT expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 is $2.61 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 10.59%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.

Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, AVNT is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).


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