AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $225.20.

Several analysts recently issued reports on AVAV shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.73, for a total transaction of $78,697.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,273,480.56. This trade represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 29.1% during the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 1,951,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $391,254,000 after acquiring an additional 439,717 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 19,950.0% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 267,066 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $53,547,000 after purchasing an additional 265,734 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 155.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 321,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $64,457,000 after purchasing an additional 195,443 shares during the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 25.5% during the 3rd quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $118,723,000 after purchasing an additional 120,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 108.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 180,824 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,255,000 after buying an additional 94,062 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $180.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $119.46 and a 12 month high of $236.60. The company has a market cap of $5.09 billion, a PE ratio of 103.66 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.80.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.29). The firm had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. AeroVironment had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 6.39%. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. Research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS), Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Systems (HAPS) segments.