American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 935,600 shares, a growth of 10.3% from the December 15th total of 848,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 321,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.67.

Insider Transactions at American Vanguard

In other American Vanguard news, Director Steven D. Macicek bought 12,000 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.97 per share, for a total transaction of $71,640.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 31,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $186,371.46. The trade was a 62.44 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 10.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Vanguard

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVD. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its position in American Vanguard by 195.7% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 5,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 3,362 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the third quarter valued at about $56,000. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in American Vanguard by 64.5% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 11,291 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 4,429 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in American Vanguard in the 3rd quarter worth about $89,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in American Vanguard in the 2nd quarter valued at about $158,000. 79.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AVD traded up $0.06 during trading on Monday, reaching $5.08. 344,848 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 304,015. The firm has a market cap of $146.17 million, a PE ratio of -4.93 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. American Vanguard has a 12 month low of $4.26 and a 12 month high of $14.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $5.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.06.

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.