AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Position Boosted by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 93,039 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,478 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.33% of AeroVironment worth $14,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Colonial Trust Advisors purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1,515.4% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 210 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

AeroVironment Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of AVAV stock traded up $2.43 on Friday, hitting $157.64. The stock had a trading volume of 92,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 411,084. The stock's 50 day moving average is $135.15 and its 200-day moving average is $166.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.73 and a beta of 0.74. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $236.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on AVAV. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $202.00.

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.