How does AVNT's Q1 2025 EPS forecast compare to past trends?

**Avient's Q1 2025 EPS forecast is aligned with past trends and strategic goals.** Here's a detailed analysis:

1. **Consistency with Strategic Goals**: Avient's strategic focus on innovation and market share gains is evident in its Q1 2025 EPS forecast. The company targets an EPS growth of $2.70 to $2.94, representing an 11% growth at the midpoint. This aligns with the company's historical performance and its new strategy aimed at organic growth and margin expansion.
2. **Organic Growth and Margin Expansion**: The company's emphasis on organic sales growth and margin expansion is a key trend. Avient achieved a 4% increase in organic sales for the full year 2024, indicating a positive trajectory. The planned innovation in high-growth markets and secular trends is expected to sustain this growth momentum.
3. **Comparative Analysis**: Avient's Q1 2025 EPS forecast of $0.76, including a $0.04 FX headwind, suggests a cautious approach due to external factors. However, the company's historical performance and recent innovations in the defense and healthcare sectors provide a solid foundation for this forecast.
4. **Analyst Insights**: Analysts have provided mixed estimates for Q1 2025, with some revisions reflecting a more conservative outlook. For instance, Seaport Res Ptn decreased its EPS estimate from $0.83 to $0.72, while other analysts maintain a positive stance with an average EPS expectation of $0.69. This divergence reflects varying views on macroeconomic uncertainties and competitive dynamics.
5. **Historical Performance**: Avient has a track record of beating EPS estimates 88% of the time over the last two years. The company's full-year adjusted EPS grew by 13% to $2.66 in 2024, indicating robust profitability.

In conclusion, Avient's Q1 2025 EPS forecast is rooted in its strategic initiatives and historical performance, reflecting a balanced approach to growth and profitability.