Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Acquires New Holdings in American Vanguard Corporation $AVD

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 372,064 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,136,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 46.8% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,838 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 4,413 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in American Vanguard during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Vanguard by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 639,301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,506,000 after buying an additional 13,657 shares during the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 100.7% in the second quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,933 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 14,520 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the second quarter worth about $57,000. 79.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

Shares of AVD stock opened at $4.99 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.33 and a 200-day moving average of $4.79. The company has a market cap of $142.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.25 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. American Vanguard Corporation has a 52 week low of $3.28 and a 52 week high of $5.92.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.10). American Vanguard had a negative return on equity of 23.15% and a negative net margin of 21.15%.The company had revenue of $119.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $163.00 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on AVD shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of American Vanguard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.00.

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.