American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 238,225 shares, a decline of 70.7% from the June 15th total of 813,914 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 705,640 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Patrick E. Gottschalk purchased 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $2.70 per share, with a total value of $67,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 191,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $517,603.50. The trade was a 15.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Vanguard

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVD. Williams & Novak LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 65.6% during the second quarter. Williams & Novak LLC now owns 43,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 17,173 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of American Vanguard by 97.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 84,078 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 41,388 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of American Vanguard by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 218,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 54,800 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in American Vanguard by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 68,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $169,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new position in American Vanguard during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.00% of the company’s stock.

American Vanguard Trading Down 0.4%

AVD stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $2.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 81,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 335,229. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. American Vanguard has a 52 week low of $2.05 and a 52 week high of $5.92. The stock has a market cap of $75.82 million, a PE ratio of -1.67 and a beta of 1.41.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.14) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.08). American Vanguard had a negative net margin of 8.71% and a negative return on equity of 4.13%. The business had revenue of $123.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $120.00 million.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut American Vanguard from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

About American Vanguard

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE: AVD) is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemical products for crop protection, turf and ornamental care, and public health pest control. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the company offers a portfolio of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides designed for use across agricultural, turf and urban pest management applications. Its research and development efforts focus on novel chemistries and formulation technologies that address emerging pest resistance and regulatory requirements.

The company’s product lines include emulsifiable concentrates, wettable powders, granular formulations, baits and liquid concentrates sold under proprietary brand names.