Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $6.15 Million Stock Position in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) by 8.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 474,866 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 46,086 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 1.65% of American Vanguard worth $6,150,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AVD. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of American Vanguard by 492.4% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,945 shares during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in American Vanguard by 240.5% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,885 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 4,863 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in American Vanguard during the 4th quarter worth about $98,000. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. acquired a new stake in American Vanguard during the 4th quarter worth about $124,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

American Vanguard Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of American Vanguard stock traded down $0.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $8.48. 195,358 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 263,613. The stock has a market cap of $237.36 million, a P/E ratio of 32.62 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 2.29. American Vanguard Co. has a twelve month low of $7.94 and a twelve month high of $18.26. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $8.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.44.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.01. American Vanguard had a return on equity of 2.20% and a net margin of 1.22%. The firm had revenue of $135.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $141.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Vanguard Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 26th were issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 26th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. American Vanguard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVD has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered American Vanguard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Vanguard currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ulrich Trogele bought 18,200 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.75 per share, for a total transaction of $159,250.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 209,876 shares in the company, valued at $1,836,415. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other American Vanguard news, insider Ulrich Trogele purchased 18,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.75 per share, for a total transaction of $159,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 209,876 shares in the company, valued at $1,836,415. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven D. Macicek purchased 8,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.01 per share, with a total value of $76,585.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,496.44. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 10.10% of the company’s stock.

American Vanguard Profile

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.