The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases 11,215 Shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,923 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 11,215 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.25% of American Vanguard worth $610,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AVD. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 7,554.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 4,155 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 195.7% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 5,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 3,362 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter worth about $118,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 363.9% during the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 10,118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 7,937 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on AVD. StockNews.com raised shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Vanguard presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom bought 33,555 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.66 per share, for a total transaction of $189,921.30. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,047,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,928,340.60. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom acquired 33,555 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.66 per share, for a total transaction of $189,921.30. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,047,410 shares in the company, valued at $5,928,340.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.80, for a total transaction of $29,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $248,849. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 163,047 shares of company stock worth $938,205. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

NYSE AVD opened at $5.11 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $142.86 million, a P/E ratio of 19.63 and a beta of 0.87. American Vanguard Co. has a 12-month low of $4.95 and a 12-month high of $14.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $5.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.35.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $128.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $134.20 million. American Vanguard had a negative net margin of 0.60% and a positive return on equity of 1.85%. Analysts anticipate that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.02 earnings per share for the current year.

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.