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Avient (AVNT) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?

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All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.

Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, 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 account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

Avient in Focus

Based in Avon Lake, Avient (AVNT - Free Report) is in the Basic Materials sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 8.2%. The maker of resins used in plastic pipe and other products is paying out a dividend of $0.26 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.29% compared to the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield of 1.92% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.63%.

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. Avient's current payout ratio is 42%, meaning 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 $2.63 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 11.44%.

Bottom Line

Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. 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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