American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

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

Several brokerages have issued reports on AVD. StockNews.com cut American Vanguard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Lake Street Capital began coverage on American Vanguard in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th.

American Vanguard Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE AVD opened at $9.56 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $8.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.33. American Vanguard has a one year low of $7.94 and a one year high of $18.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 2.29. The company has a market cap of $267.58 million, a P/E ratio of 36.77 and a beta of 0.91.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $135.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.20 million. American Vanguard had a return on equity of 2.20% and a net margin of 1.22%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.07 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Vanguard will post 0.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Vanguard Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at American Vanguard

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Vanguard

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AVD. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in American Vanguard by 288.1% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in American Vanguard by 492.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at about $98,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in American Vanguard by 251.5% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 178,038 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,953,000 after purchasing an additional 127,386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

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.