Hsbc Holdings PLC Trims Stake in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its holdings in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) by 25.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,986 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,503 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.11% of American Vanguard worth $258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVD. Pullen Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Vanguard by 2.4% in the second quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 70,089 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $603,000 after purchasing an additional 1,628 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in American Vanguard by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $194,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 79,596 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 3,571 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in American Vanguard by 3.6% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 107,809 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 3,787 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AVD shares. StockNews.com upgraded American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Lake Street Capital began coverage on American Vanguard in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Vanguard

In related news, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.80, for a total value of $29,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $248,849. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.80, for a total value of $29,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $248,849. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 104,492 shares of American Vanguard stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.74 per share, for a total transaction of $599,784.08. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,168,682 shares in the company, valued at $6,708,234.68. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 163,047 shares of company stock worth $938,205. 10.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

American Vanguard stock opened at $5.19 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. American Vanguard Co. has a twelve month low of $4.95 and a twelve month high of $14.28. The company has a market capitalization of $145.24 million, a PE ratio of 19.65 and a beta of 0.87.

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

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.