Gladius Capital Management LP Takes $37,000 Position in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,367 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVD. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of American Vanguard by 492.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,945 shares in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of American Vanguard in the third quarter worth $119,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Vanguard during the third quarter worth $132,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 288.1% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 12,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 8,954 shares in the last quarter. 79.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AVD shares. StockNews.com upgraded American Vanguard from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of American Vanguard from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of American Vanguard in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of American Vanguard from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, American Vanguard currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.00.

American Vanguard Stock Up 1.3 %

AVD traded up $0.16 on Thursday, reaching $12.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 164,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,964. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. American Vanguard Co. has a fifty-two week low of $8.41 and a fifty-two week high of $18.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.79. The company has a market capitalization of $363.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.74 and a beta of 1.05.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. American Vanguard had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 2.05%. The firm had revenue of $172.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.70 million. As a group, analysts forecast that American Vanguard Co. will post 0.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Vanguard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 27th were given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 26th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. American Vanguard’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.44%.

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.