American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average of $10.71

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $10.71 and traded as high as $12.00. American Vanguard shares last traded at $11.77, with a volume of 185,636 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AVD shares. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of American Vanguard in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Roth Mkm raised their target price on American Vanguard from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of American Vanguard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $18.00.

American Vanguard Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $338.98 million, a PE ratio of 43.59 and a beta of 1.05.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.25. The firm had revenue of $172.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.70 million. American Vanguard had a return on equity of 2.05% and a net margin of 1.30%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Vanguard Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 27th were issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 26th. American Vanguard’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.45%.

Institutional Trading of American Vanguard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Simplicity Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 11.7% in the third quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 16,651 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 1,748 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC grew its holdings in American Vanguard by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 180,486 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,973,000 after buying an additional 35,746 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,370,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund purchased a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the third quarter worth $183,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of American Vanguard by 53.8% during the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 31,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 11,032 shares during the last quarter. 79.04% 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.