Bfsg LLC Makes New $98,000 Investment in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,934 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of American Vanguard by 492.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,945 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the third quarter worth approximately $119,000. Summit Global Investments purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the third quarter worth approximately $121,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of American Vanguard by 288.1% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 12,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 8,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the third quarter worth approximately $132,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AVD shares. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of American Vanguard from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Vanguard in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

American Vanguard Price Performance

AVD stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Thursday, hitting $11.21. The stock had a trading volume of 21,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 200,214. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $11.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.67. American Vanguard Co. has a 1-year low of $8.41 and a 1-year high of $19.64. The stock has a market cap of $322.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.08 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.87.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.25. The company had revenue of $172.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $172.70 million. American Vanguard had a return on equity of 2.05% and a net margin of 1.30%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Vanguard Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 27th were issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 26th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. American Vanguard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.45%.

About American Vanguard

American Vanguard Corporation, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets specialty chemicals for agricultural, commercial, and consumer uses in the United States and internationally. It manufactures and formulates chemicals, including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, soil health, plant nutrition, molluscicides, growth regulators, soil fumigants, and biorationals in liquid, powder, and granular forms for crops, turf and ornamental plants, and human and animal health protection.