American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Receives $18.00 Average PT from Analysts

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the four brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $16.67.

A number of brokerages have commented on AVD. Loop Capital upped their price target on American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of American Vanguard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ulrich Trogele acquired 18,200 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.75 per share, for a total transaction of $159,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 209,876 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,836,415. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Steven D. Macicek purchased 8,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.01 per share, with a total value of $76,585.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,044 shares in the company, valued at $90,496.44. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ulrich Trogele purchased 18,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.75 per share, with a total value of $159,250.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 209,876 shares in the company, valued at $1,836,415. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC lifted its position in American Vanguard by 492.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,945 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in American Vanguard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in American Vanguard by 7,554.5% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 4,155 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 240.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,885 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 4,863 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC bought a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,000. 79.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

AVD opened at $9.56 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.79 and its 200 day moving average is $10.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $267.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.77 and a beta of 0.91. American Vanguard has a 12-month low of $7.94 and a 12-month high of $18.22.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $135.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.20 million. American Vanguard had a net margin of 1.22% and a return on equity of 2.20%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.07 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that American Vanguard will post 0.44 EPS for the current year.

American Vanguard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 26th. American Vanguard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.15%.

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.