Form 4: Avient SVP Exercises SARs, Sells Shares for Taxes

Avient Corporation's SVP and President of CAI, Moh Woon Keat, exercised Stock Appreciation Rights and subsequently sold a portion of the acquired common stock to cover related liabilities.

Summary

• Moh Woon Keat, SVP, President CAI of Avient Corp, exercised 1,870 Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs) on January 20, 2026.
• The SARs had an exercise price of $24.98 per share.
• This exercise resulted in the acquisition of 1,870 shares of Avient Common Stock.
• Concurrently, 1,618 shares of Common Stock were disposed of at a price of $35.62 per share, likely to cover tax obligations and exercise costs.
• Following these transactions, Moh Woon Keat directly holds 12,807 shares of Avient Common Stock.
• The reported beneficial ownership includes dividend equivalents earned on vested restricted stock units.
• A prior over-reporting error of 20 shares was corrected, reducing the previously reported amount.
• The SARs vest based on achieving stock appreciation targets (10%, 15%, 20% from $24.98 grant price, maintained for 30 days) and time requirements (max one-third per year for three years).

Sentiment

Score: 6

Explanation: The filing reports a routine insider transaction involving the exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights and a subsequent sale to cover taxes. The fact that SARs vested due to stock appreciation is a positive signal for the company's stock performance, but the transaction itself is neutral as it's a compensation event rather than a discretionary open market purchase.

Positives

• The exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights indicates that the vesting conditions (including stock appreciation) were met, suggesting positive performance of the company's stock relative to the grant price of $24.98.
• The sale price of $35.62 per share is higher than the SAR exercise price of $24.98, indicating a gain for the insider on the exercised SARs.

Negatives

• The disposition of 1,618 shares reduces the insider's direct ownership in the company, although this is a common practice for tax withholding upon equity award exercise.

Future Outlook

NA

Industry Context

This is an insider transaction report, which is specific to the individual and company, not directly indicative of broader industry trends, though the stock appreciation that triggered SAR vesting could reflect positive industry sentiment.

Related Party Transactions

• The exercise of Stock Appreciation Rights and the subsequent acquisition and disposition of common stock by an SVP are related party transactions as they involve an executive of the company.

Stakeholder Impact

• Shareholders: The exercise of SARs and subsequent sale of shares by an SVP could be viewed as a routine compensation event. The fact that SARs vested due to stock appreciation might be seen positively, indicating stock performance. The slight reduction in direct insider ownership due to the sale-to-cover is generally expected.
• Employees: No direct impact mentioned.
• Customers/Suppliers/Creditors: No direct impact mentioned.

Key Dates

Recommendation

This Form 4 reports a standard executive compensation event where an SVP exercised Stock Appreciation Rights and sold shares to cover taxes. While the vesting of SARs implies the stock performed well enough to meet appreciation targets, the transaction itself is not a discretionary open market purchase or sale that would typically warrant a change in investment recommendation. It's a routine part of executive compensation.

Keywords

Avient Corporation, AVNT, Form 4, Insider Trading, Stock Appreciation Rights, SARs, Common Stock, Equity Compensation, Executive Compensation, Moh Woon Keat