933,473 Shares in American Vanguard Corporation $AVD Bought by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 933,473 shares of American Vanguard during the second quarter, worth approximately $2.6 million and representing a 3.26% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 79% of the company.
• American Vanguard reported a quarterly loss of $0.34 per share, missing estimates by $0.43, while revenue of $116.75 million fell short of the $135 million consensus forecast.
• Analysts maintain a bearish outlook, with the stock carrying an average “Sell” rating. Shares opened at $2.33, near the company’s 52-week low of $2.03.

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 933,473 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,614,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 3.26% of American Vanguard at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in American Vanguard in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Jain Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AVD shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of American Vanguard from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Vanguard presently has an average rating of "Sell".

American Vanguard Stock Performance

NYSE AVD opened at $2.33 on Friday. American Vanguard Corporation has a 52-week low of $2.03 and a 52-week high of $5.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.23 and a beta of 1.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $2.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.91.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The basic materials company reported ($0.34) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $116.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.00 million. American Vanguard had a negative net margin of 10.70% and a negative return on equity of 9.05%.

Insider Transactions at American Vanguard

In related news, Director Steven D. Macicek acquired 19,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2.09 per share, with a total value of $39,710.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 99,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at $208,395.99. This trade represents a 23.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom sold 556,580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.20, for a total value of $1,224,476.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,442.20. This represents a 97.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About American Vanguard

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.

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