American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) Short Interest Up 35.3% in March

Key Points

• Short interest rose 35.3% in March to 949,010 shares, equal to about 3.6% of shares outstanding and a days-to-cover ratio of 1.3.
• Recent quarterly results missed expectations — EPS $0.06 vs. $0.28 expected and revenue $150.69M vs. $163M — and the company reported a negative net margin (−9.68%) and negative ROE (−5.13%).
• Shares traded near $2.75 (up ~5.2% intraday) with a market cap of ~$78.3M, while analysts’ consensus is a "Hold" and the average price target is $12.00.

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 949,010 shares, an increase of 35.3% from the March 15th total of 701,243 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 741,253 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days. Approximately 3.6% of the company's shares are short sold.

American Vanguard Trading Up 5.2%

AVD stock traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $2.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 64,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,007. American Vanguard has a 12 month low of $2.05 and a 12 month high of $5.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The business's 50 day moving average price is $3.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.32. The company has a market cap of $78.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.57 and a beta of 1.42.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 16th. The basic materials company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $150.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $163.00 million. American Vanguard had a negative return on equity of 5.13% and a negative net margin of 9.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Vanguard

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in American Vanguard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in American Vanguard in the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Jain Global LLC acquired a new stake in American Vanguard in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the second quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 79.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Vanguard Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.