American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD – Get Rating) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

American Vanguard Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of American Vanguard stock opened at $21.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $627.39 million, a P/E ratio of 22.81 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. American Vanguard has a 12-month low of $17.85 and a 12-month high of $25.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $21.52 and its 200-day moving average is $21.52.

American Vanguard Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th will be issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 23rd. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. American Vanguard’s payout ratio is 12.90%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in American Vanguard by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,830,965 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $90,339,000 after acquiring an additional 132,636 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of American Vanguard by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,461,505 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $53,439,000 after purchasing an additional 38,834 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of American Vanguard by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,168,977 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,560,000 after buying an additional 125,891 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,293,771 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,225,000 after buying an additional 27,934 shares during the period. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. MA acquired a new position in American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at about $17,206,000. 81.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Vanguard Company Profile

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American Vanguard Corp. is a holding company engaged in the development and marketing of specialty and agricultural products for crop protection and management, turf and ornamentals management, and public and animal health. It also acquires and licenses both new and well-established product lines that serve numerous market niches.