American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 833,600 shares, an increase of 21.5% from the September 15th total of 686,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 291,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

American Vanguard Price Performance

AVD traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $5.07. 19,014 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 245,471. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81 and a beta of 0.87. American Vanguard has a one year low of $4.95 and a one year high of $14.28.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its 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). American Vanguard had a positive return on equity of 1.85% and a negative net margin of 0.60%. The company had revenue of $128.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.20 million. As a group, research analysts predict that American Vanguard will post 0.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.94 per share, for a total transaction of $148,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,193,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,090,471.08. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Vanguard news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom acquired 25,000 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.94 per share, with a total value of $148,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,193,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,090,471.08. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom bought 104,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $5.74 per share, for a total transaction of $599,784.08. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,168,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,708,234.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 163,047 shares of company stock valued at $938,205 over the last 90 days. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Vanguard

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in American Vanguard by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,685,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,486,000 after acquiring an additional 73,120 shares during the last quarter. Cove Street Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 166.1% in the first quarter. Cove Street Capital LLC now owns 709,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,185,000 after buying an additional 442,702 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 67.5% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 520,398 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,475,000 after buying an additional 209,800 shares during the last quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. lifted its position in American Vanguard by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. now owns 475,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,085,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in American Vanguard by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 354,662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,591,000 after acquiring an additional 12,254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Lake Street Capital started coverage on American Vanguard in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Vanguard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.