AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Purchased by Driehaus Capital Management LLC

Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 187,190 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 39,802 shares during the quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC owned about 0.66% of AeroVironment worth $28,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $93,759,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $46,789,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $37,502,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $328,598,000 after purchasing an additional 183,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 415.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 198,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $30,620,000 after purchasing an additional 160,390 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total value of $3,764,721.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $197.83.

AeroVironment Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded up $1.66 during trading on Monday, hitting $167.13. 477,777 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 411,722. The firm has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 96.05 and a beta of 0.80. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $236.60. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $136.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.33.

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.