Avient Raises 2026 Forecast After Third-Quarter Sales Top $891 Million
Key Facts
Avient said on November 4 that sales reached $891 million in the third quarter of 2026, up 10.5% from the same period a year earlier and above analysts’ consensus estimate of $856.99 million. Adjusted earnings per share were $0.86, compared with an estimate of $0.80. Following the results, the company raised its full-year adjusted earnings-per-share guidance range, reflecting the quarter’s performance and putting the new estimate above the analysts’ average forecast. The results included organic sales growth and expansion in the adjusted EBITDA margin. Chief Executive Mike Frank said the company’s teams delivered “a strong third quarter,” pointing to sales growth in most of the markets where Avient operates.
Organic sales growth was 10.6% during the quarter, with both operating segments contributing, the company said. Avient attributed the growth to pricing, an improved product mix and new business gains. Packaging, healthcare, and building and construction were among the markets that recorded notable growth, Frank said. The adjusted EBITDA margin widened 80 basis points to 17.3%. Together, these indicators show higher sales and an improved margin, while the company linked the broader mix to new business and pricing. Organic sales growth also outpaced reported overall sales growth, which included a 10.5% year-over-year increase.
Avient raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings-per-share forecast to a range of $3.22 to $3.32, from the previous range of $3.10 to $3.25. The midpoint of the new range is $3.27 a share, above analysts’ consensus of $3.20. The company had raised its previous forecast in August, from a range of $2.93 to $3.17 to $3.10 to $3.25, and at the time estimated annual adjusted earnings-per-share growth of between 10% and 15%. The latest update follows a quarter in which sales and adjusted earnings per share topped estimates, according to results data reported by Reuters via Investing.com. GAAP earnings per share were $0.46, compared with $0.36 in the third quarter of 2025; this is a separate measure from the adjusted earnings the company uses in its guidance.
At the operating-profit level, the company narrowed its 2026 adjusted EBITDA forecast to $593–603 million. The range implies expected annual growth of between 9% and 11%, Reuters reported via Investing.com. Avient expects to end the year with net debt to adjusted EBITDA of between 2.2 and 2.3 times. It had reduced net debt by $100 million since the start of the year, including $50 million in the third quarter. After the quarter ended, it repurchased 281,000 shares for about $10.9 million. These figures put earnings guidance alongside the company’s debt trajectory and share repurchases in its annual update.
Second-quarter results provide context for the annual trajectory before the latest update: sales then reached $917 million, up 5.8%, including organic growth of 4.3% and a positive foreign-exchange effect of 1.5%. Adjusted earnings per share rose to $0.96 that quarter, up 20% year over year and above the company’s guidance of $0.89. The company attributed the result mainly to organic volume growth that exceeded its expectations. The adjusted EBITDA margin also widened 110 basis points to a record 18.3% in the second quarter. In August, Avient linked organic sales growth at the time to market-share gains, new-product innovation and pricing actions, while third-quarter results later showed higher organic growth and a margin of 17.3%.
In the year-over-year comparison for the third quarter, Avient reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.70 in 2025, compared with $0.65 in the corresponding period of 2024, while sales were $806.5 million versus $815.2 million a year earlier. In its report for that quarter, the company said weak consumer confidence, uncertainty over trade policy and geopolitical tensions had hurt demand in key markets, particularly in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It said at the time that sales in defense, healthcare and communications remained strong and were growing at a high single-digit rate. In the third quarter of 2026, the company reported sales growth across most of its markets, particularly packaging, healthcare, and building and construction. The comparison highlights the different demand conditions the company described across the two periods; the current results do not specify how much each market contributed to growth.
The company was scheduled to hold a webcast to discuss its third-quarter results and full-year outlook at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time on November 4, 2026. Avient had said in August that it expected to repay a total of between $100 million and $150 million in debt during 2026, including $50 million in the second quarter. Third-quarter results showed debt repayment of $50 million during the quarter, bringing the reduction since the start of the year to $100 million. In its current update, the company forecast a year-end net debt-to-adjusted-EBITDA ratio of between 2.2 and 2.3 times. It also announced share repurchases after the quarter ended, while narrowing its annual operating-profit forecast to $593–603 million.