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

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $225.20.

Several research firms recently issued reports on AVAV. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded AeroVironment from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $216.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Baird R W upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 5th.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $161.20 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 92.64 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 4.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $116.51 and a 12-month high of $236.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $197.99 and a 200-day moving average of $191.00.

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

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,782 shares of company stock worth $373,609. 1.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. TD Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $565,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its position in AeroVironment by 120.6% during the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 136,603 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $24,884,000 after buying an additional 74,672 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth $3,679,000. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 2.0% in the second quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 158,968 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,958,000 after purchasing an additional 3,098 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at about $1,179,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

About AeroVironment

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.