American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Stock Position Increased by Barington Capital Group L.P.

Barington Capital Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 475,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the quarter. American Vanguard comprises about 4.7% of Barington Capital Group L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Barington Capital Group L.P.’s holdings in American Vanguard were worth $4,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its holdings in American Vanguard by 256.9% during the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 876,708 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,617,000 after purchasing an additional 631,070 shares during the period. Cove Street Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 166.1% during the first quarter. Cove Street Capital LLC now owns 709,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,185,000 after buying an additional 442,702 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in American Vanguard by 788.8% in the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 310,598 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,022,000 after acquiring an additional 275,653 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in American Vanguard in the second quarter worth approximately $1,677,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,006,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.94 per share, for a total transaction of $148,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,193,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,090,471.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other American Vanguard news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 25,000 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,193,682 shares in the company, valued at $7,090,471.08. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,905 shares in the company, valued at $248,849. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders bought 163,047 shares of company stock valued at $938,205. Insiders own 10.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AVD. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Lake Street Capital started coverage on American Vanguard in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Vanguard currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.67.

American Vanguard Stock Down 0.2 %

AVD stock opened at $5.27 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $147.48 million, a P/E ratio of 20.27 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. American Vanguard Co. has a twelve month low of $4.95 and a twelve month high of $14.28. The company’s 50 day moving average is $6.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.98.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last announced its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $134.20 million. Research analysts expect that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.