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

Key Points

• American Vanguard Corporation's stock surpassed its 200-day moving average during trading, reaching a high of $5.46 before closing at $5.15.
• Analyst ratings for American Vanguard vary, with Lake Street Capital reducing their target price to $12.00 and maintaining a "buy" rating, while Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from "buy" to "hold."
• Institutional investors own 79% of American Vanguard's shares, with significant increases in holdings reported by firms like Ameriprise Financial and Bank of America.

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.38 and traded as high as $5.46. American Vanguard shares last traded at $5.15, with a volume of 124,049 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AVD shares. Lake Street Capital dropped their price objective on shares of 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 downgraded shares of American Vanguard from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.00.

American Vanguard Stock Up 2.8%

The firm has a market capitalization of $153.78 million, a PE ratio of -1.21 and a beta of 1.23. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $4.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.39. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.08. American Vanguard had a negative net margin of 23.72% and a negative return on equity of 26.21%. The business had revenue of $129.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.00 million.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Vanguard

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cim Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in American Vanguard by 100.7% during 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 in the last quarter. EVR Research LP acquired a new stake in American Vanguard during the second quarter valued at approximately $564,000. Curi Capital LLC raised its stake in American Vanguard by 1,285.5% during the second quarter. Curi Capital LLC now owns 289,573 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,135,000 after buying an additional 268,673 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in American Vanguard by 18.7% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 190,223 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 29,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in American Vanguard by 116.9% during the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 87,847 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 47,338 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.00% of the company's stock.

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.