Short Interest in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Rises By 7.0%

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,380,000 shares, an increase of 7.0% from the August 31st total of 1,290,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 367,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days.

AeroVironment Trading Up 0.2 %

AeroVironment stock traded up $0.47 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $199.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 56,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 344,413. AeroVironment has a one year low of $104.67 and a one year high of $224.00. The stock has a market cap of $5.62 billion, a PE ratio of 89.74 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $182.85 and a 200-day moving average of $177.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 3.04 and a current ratio of 4.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $189.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.18 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 9.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 9,867 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 99,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,904,723.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 9,867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.23, for a total transaction of $1,669,792.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 99,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,904,723.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,776 shares of company stock worth $1,837,117. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 50.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 401 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $61,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James lowered AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Robert W. Baird upgraded AeroVironment from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $161.00 to $220.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Baird R W upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.20.

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.