Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Raises Stake in American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard Co. (NYSE:AVD) by 84.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 81,381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,192 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owned 0.28% of American Vanguard worth $431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $4,475,000 after buying an additional 209,800 shares during the last quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. boosted its stake in American Vanguard by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Barington Capital Group L.P. now owns 475,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,085,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in American Vanguard by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 354,662 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,591,000 after purchasing an additional 12,254 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in American Vanguard by 28.3% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 228,478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,959,000 after purchasing an additional 50,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in American Vanguard in the second quarter worth about $1,677,000. 79.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Vanguard Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AVD opened at $6.35 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $5.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.26. American Vanguard Co. has a 52-week low of $4.95 and a 52-week high of $14.28. The company has a market cap of $182.67 million, a PE ratio of -6.16 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Keith M. Rosenbloom purchased 33,555 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.66 per share, with a total value of $189,921.30. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,047,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,928,340.60. This represents a 3.31 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Peter Eilers sold 5,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 42,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $248,849. This trade represents a 10.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 175,047 shares of company stock worth $1,009,845. 10.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.