American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD) Lifted to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

American Vanguard (NYSE:AVD – Get Rating) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

American Vanguard Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AVD opened at $21.02 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $21.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.11. American Vanguard has a one year low of $16.85 and a one year high of $25.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $621.77 million, a PE ratio of 22.13 and a beta of 0.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Vanguard

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVD. Congress Asset Management Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at about $17,206,000. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 250.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC now owns 769,954 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,208,000 after purchasing an additional 550,177 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 23.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,265,837 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,322,000 after purchasing an additional 238,046 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Vanguard by 308.6% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 255,499 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,711,000 after purchasing an additional 192,970 shares during the period. Finally, Congress Wealth Management LLC DE bought a new stake in shares of American Vanguard in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,569,000. 81.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About American Vanguard

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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.