AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price Up 4.3%

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price rose 4.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $210.49 and last traded at $209.14. Approximately 119,845 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 344,205 shares. The stock had previously closed at $200.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AVAV shares. Raymond James cut AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of AeroVironment from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $216.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Baird R W upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $161.00 to $220.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.20.

AeroVironment Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 4.26 and a quick ratio of 3.04. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $183.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $178.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.32 and a beta of 0.50.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $189.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.18 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 9.87%. The firm’s revenue was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total value of $77,703.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 18,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,581,799.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 9,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.23, for a total value of $1,669,792.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 99,892 shares in the company, valued at $16,904,723.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total value of $77,703.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,254 shares in the company, valued at $3,581,799.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,776 shares of company stock valued at $1,837,117. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 50.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 401 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 1st quarter worth approximately $61,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.