Peter Eilers Sells 3,000 Shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) Stock

American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) insider Peter Eilers sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.35, for a total transaction of $16,050.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,177 shares in the company, valued at $204,246.95. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

American Vanguard Price Performance

NYSE AVD opened at $4.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. American Vanguard Co. has a 1 year low of $4.40 and a 1 year high of $14.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $5.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.68. The company has a market cap of $126.96 million, a PE ratio of -4.28 and a beta of 0.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Vanguard from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Vanguard

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 67.5% during the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 520,398 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,475,000 after buying an additional 209,800 shares during the last quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. grew its position in American Vanguard by 11.8% in the second quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. now owns 475,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,085,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in American Vanguard in the third quarter valued at $2,351,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 4.5% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 271,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,437,000 after purchasing an additional 11,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the second quarter worth $1,677,000. 79.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.