American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Short Interest Down 9.3% in October

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 693,400 shares, a decrease of 9.3% from the October 15th total of 764,600 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 275,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days.

American Vanguard Stock Up 4.6 %

Shares of NYSE AVD traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.43. The company had a trading volume of 178,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 259,782. American Vanguard has a one year low of $4.95 and a one year high of $14.28. The company has a market capitalization of $185.12 million, a PE ratio of -6.37 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven D. Macicek acquired 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.97 per share, for a total transaction of $71,640.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 31,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $186,371.46. This trade represents a 62.44 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.80, for a total value of $29,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $248,849. The trade was a 10.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 175,047 shares of company stock valued at $1,009,845 in the last 90 days. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Vanguard

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in American Vanguard by 67.5% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 520,398 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,475,000 after buying an additional 209,800 shares during the last quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. raised its position in shares of American Vanguard by 11.8% in the second quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. now owns 475,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,085,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,351,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in American Vanguard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 354,662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,591,000 after buying an additional 12,254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in American Vanguard by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 271,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,437,000 after acquiring an additional 11,751 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.67.

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.