American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Director Steven D. Macicek Buys 12,000 Shares

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Director Steven D. Macicek bought 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $5.97 per share, with a total value of $71,640.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 31,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $186,371.46. The trade was a 62.44 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

American Vanguard Trading Up 1.4 %

American Vanguard stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $6.15. The stock had a trading volume of 281,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,141. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.29. American Vanguard Co. has a twelve month low of $4.95 and a twelve month high of $14.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $176.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.97 and a beta of 0.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They set 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Vanguard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVD. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in American Vanguard in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,351,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 67.5% during the 2nd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 520,398 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,475,000 after buying an additional 209,800 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,677,000. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,006,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 535.7% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 135,165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,162,000 after buying an additional 113,901 shares during the period. 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.