American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.69 and traded as high as $4.88. American Vanguard shares last traded at $4.81, with a volume of 191,091 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on AVD shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of American Vanguard in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded American Vanguard from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.00.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $4.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.69. The company has a market capitalization of $136.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.21 and a beta of 1.22.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The basic materials company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.10). American Vanguard had a negative return on equity of 23.15% and a negative net margin of 21.15%.The company had revenue of $119.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $163.00 million.

Institutional Trading of American Vanguard

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Vanguard in the second quarter valued at $111,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC lifted its position in American Vanguard by 31.8% during the second quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 320,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,256,000 after buying an additional 77,346 shares during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in American Vanguard by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 98,358 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 3,640 shares during the last quarter. Williams & Novak LLC grew its holdings in American Vanguard by 40.6% in the 2nd quarter. Williams & Novak LLC now owns 15,605 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 4,505 shares during the period. Finally, EVR Research LP acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter valued at about $564,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.00% of the company’s stock.

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.