Short Interest in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Decreases By 8.3%

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) was the target of a large drop in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 764,600 shares, a drop of 8.3% from the September 30th total of 833,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 300,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 2.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AVD. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of 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 upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Vanguard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.67.

American Vanguard Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE AVD traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $5.25. 81,067 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 246,889. American Vanguard has a 52-week low of $4.95 and a 52-week high of $14.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 2.22.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom bought 25,000 shares of the company’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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,193,682 shares in the company, valued at $7,090,471.08. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.80, for a total transaction of $29,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $248,849. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom acquired 25,000 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $7,090,471.08. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 163,047 shares of company stock valued at $938,205 in the last ninety days. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Vanguard

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 4,155 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its stake in American Vanguard by 195.7% during the second quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 5,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 3,362 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 363.9% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 10,118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 7,937 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the 3rd quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

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.