American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) Stock Short Interest Climbs 98.5%

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 389,582 shares, an increase of 98.5% from the September 15th total of 196,244 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 345,148 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

American Vanguard Price Performance

AVD stock traded down $0.17 on Wednesday, reaching $1.16. The company had a trading volume of 994,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 320,663. American Vanguard has a 1 year low of $1.13 and a 1 year high of $5.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.47. The company’s fifty day moving average is $2.10 and its 200 day moving average is $2.48. The company has a market cap of $34.07 million, a P/E ratio of -0.61 and a beta of 1.49.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The basic materials company reported ($0.34) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.43). American Vanguard had a negative return on equity of 9.05% and a negative net margin of 10.70%. The company had revenue of $116.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $135.00 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut American Vanguard from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Steven D. Macicek acquired 19,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2.09 per share, with a total value of $39,710.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 99,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,395.99. This trade represents a 23.54% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom sold 556,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.20, for a total value of $1,224,476.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,442.20. The trade was a 97.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Vanguard

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVD. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in shares of American Vanguard by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 68,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in American Vanguard during the first quarter worth $28,000. Williams & Novak LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 65.6% in the second quarter. Williams & Novak LLC now owns 43,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 17,173 shares during the period. Williams & Novak Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 49.6% in the third quarter. Williams & Novak Wealth Management LLC now owns 64,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 21,485 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in American Vanguard in the second quarter worth $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.00% of the company’s stock.

About American Vanguard

American Vanguard Corporation develops and markets specialty products for agriculture, professional turf and ornamental markets, and commercial and public-health applications. Through its AMVAC business, the company provides crop-protection products, including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, soil fumigants, and plant-growth regulators designed to help manage pests, weeds, diseases, and soil conditions.

The company also offers products used in turf and ornamental plant care, industrial and commercial pest control, and certain animal-health applications.