Potomac Capital Management Inc. Buys New Holdings in American Vanguard Corporation $AVD

Potomac Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 458,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,751,000. American Vanguard comprises about 1.4% of Potomac Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVD. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 117.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 436,687 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,921,000 after acquiring an additional 236,212 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 287.6% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 40,509 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $178,000 after acquiring an additional 30,058 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 1,732.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 58,234 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 55,056 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in American Vanguard in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in American Vanguard by 2.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 639,301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,506,000 after acquiring an additional 13,657 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.00% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Vanguard

In related news, Director Patrick E. Gottschalk purchased 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2.70 per share, for a total transaction of $67,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 191,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $517,603.50. This trade represents a 15.00% increase 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. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut American Vanguard from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

American Vanguard Stock Up 12.2%

Shares of NYSE AVD opened at $2.99 on Wednesday. American Vanguard Corporation has a 12-month low of $2.05 and a 12-month high of $5.92. The company has a market cap of $85.40 million, a P/E ratio of -1.88 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $2.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.73.

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.08). American Vanguard had a negative net margin of 8.71% and a negative return on equity of 4.13%. The company had revenue of $123.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.00 million.

American Vanguard Company Profile

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE: AVD) is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemical products for crop protection, turf and ornamental care, and public health pest control. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the company offers a portfolio of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides designed for use across agricultural, turf and urban pest management applications. Its research and development efforts focus on novel chemistries and formulation technologies that address emerging pest resistance and regulatory requirements.

The company’s product lines include emulsifiable concentrates, wettable powders, granular formulations, baits and liquid concentrates sold under proprietary brand names.