American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 843,200 shares, a decrease of 12.3% from the August 15th total of 962,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 305,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

American Vanguard Price Performance

AVD stock traded down $0.15 on Wednesday, reaching $5.86. 205,216 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,317. American Vanguard has a twelve month low of $4.95 and a twelve month high of $14.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $7.19 and a 200-day moving average of $9.27. The firm has a market cap of $163.99 million, a PE ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.88.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $128.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $134.20 million. American Vanguard had a positive return on equity of 1.85% and a negative net margin of 0.60%. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Vanguard will post 0.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at American Vanguard

In other news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 33,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was bought at an average price of $5.66 per share, for a total transaction of $189,921.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,047,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,928,340.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Vanguard news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 33,555 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $5.66 per share, for a total transaction of $189,921.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,047,410 shares in the company, valued at $5,928,340.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom acquired 104,492 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $5.74 per share, with a total value of $599,784.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,168,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,708,234.68. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 163,047 shares of company stock valued at $938,205. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Vanguard

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 104,022 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,141,000 after acquiring an additional 63,271 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in American Vanguard by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 39,163 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,631 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at about $383,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 4th quarter worth about $173,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the fourth quarter worth about $197,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Lake Street Capital started coverage on American Vanguard in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered American Vanguard from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.67.

American Vanguard Company Profile

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.