American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• American Vanguard's stock price surpassed its 200-day moving average of $4.48, reaching a high of $5.34 during trading, ending the day at $5.09.
• The stock has received a buy rating upgrade from Wall Street Zen but also a sell rating from Weiss Ratings, resulting in a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average target price of $12.00.
• Hedge funds hold a significant portion of American Vanguard's stock, with 79% owned by institutional investors, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $4.48 and traded as high as $5.34. American Vanguard shares last traded at $5.09, with a volume of 110,352 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on AVD. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of American Vanguard in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

American Vanguard Stock Down 1.9%

The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.71 million, a PE ratio of -1.14 and a beta of 1.26. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $5.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.48.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Vanguard

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AVD. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the 3rd quarter worth about $121,000. Cim Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 100.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,933 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 14,520 shares during the last quarter. EVR Research LP purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the 2nd quarter worth about $564,000. Curi Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 1,285.5% in the 2nd quarter. Curi Capital LLC now owns 289,573 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,135,000 after buying an additional 268,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 18.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 190,223 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $746,000 after buying an additional 29,942 shares during the last quarter. 79.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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