American Century Companies Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in American Vanguard Corporation $AVD

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in American Vanguard Corporation by 142.5% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 91,283 shares.
• Analysts have recently set a consensus rating of "Buy" for American Vanguard, with an average target price of $12.00, despite some firms lowering their price objectives.
• American Vanguard reported a quarterly earnings per share of ($0.03), surpassing estimates, but showed negative net margins of 23.72% and a negative return on equity of 26.21%.

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD - Free Report) by 142.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 155,355 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 91,283 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.54% of American Vanguard worth $684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 69,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 2,221 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in American Vanguard by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 14,952 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 2,875 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in American Vanguard by 134.7% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 5,410 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 224,507 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,039,000 after acquiring an additional 7,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of American Vanguard by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 24,819 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 7,980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.00% of the company's stock.

American Vanguard Price Performance

Shares of AVD stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $5.38. 147,670 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 177,834. American Vanguard Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $3.28 and a fifty-two week high of $6.68. The firm has a market cap of $152.81 million, a P/E ratio of -1.20 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.39.

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, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.08. The business 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AVD. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Vanguard from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Lake Street Capital decreased their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.00.

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.