American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• American Vanguard's share price has surpassed its 200-day moving average of $4.41, reaching a high of $5.80 during trading, indicating strong market performance.
• Brokerage firm Wall Street Zen upgraded American Vanguard from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, while the average price target for the stock is set at $12.00.
• The company reported earnings of ($0.03) per share for the last quarter, outperforming the consensus estimate of ($0.11) and generating revenue of $129.31 million.

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.41 and traded as high as $5.80. American Vanguard shares last traded at $5.79, with a volume of 173,150 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Lake Street Capital decreased their target price on American Vanguard from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $12.00.

American Vanguard Stock Up 1.9%

The firm has a market capitalization of $156.37 million, a PE ratio of -1.23 and a beta of 1.26. The business's fifty day moving average price is $4.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.08. American Vanguard had a negative return on equity of 26.21% and a negative net margin of 23.72%.The firm had revenue of $129.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.00 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVD. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in American Vanguard by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 224,507 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,039,000 after purchasing an additional 7,251 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in American Vanguard by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 163,251 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 34,943 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in American Vanguard by 232.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 73,149 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 51,174 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in American Vanguard during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,666,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in American Vanguard during the 4th quarter worth approximately $165,000. 79.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.