Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Has $4.09 Million Stock Position in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lessened its position in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 315,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 23,559 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in American Vanguard were worth $4,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AVD. CWM LLC boosted its stake in American Vanguard by 492.4% during 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 during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 240.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,885 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 4,863 shares during the last quarter. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in American Vanguard during the fourth quarter worth $98,000. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. acquired a new position in American Vanguard during the 4th quarter valued at $124,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

American Vanguard Price Performance

Shares of American Vanguard stock traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $9.59. 43,663 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 221,462. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.31. American Vanguard Co. has a 52 week low of $7.94 and a 52 week high of $18.22. The firm has a market cap of $268.42 million, a P/E ratio of 35.92 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its 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. American Vanguard had a net margin of 1.22% and a return on equity of 2.20%. The business had revenue of $135.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $141.20 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.07 EPS. Research analysts forecast that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.44 earnings per share for the current year.

American Vanguard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 26th were issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 26th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. American Vanguard’s dividend payout ratio is 46.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AVD. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Vanguard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Lake Street Capital began coverage on American Vanguard in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Vanguard

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

American Vanguard 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.