AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Position Lifted by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 105.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,038 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,643 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,098,822 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $476,878,000 after acquiring an additional 35,543 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $328,598,000 after purchasing an additional 183,887 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in AeroVironment by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 654,024 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $100,670,000 after purchasing an additional 19,835 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $83,338,000 after purchasing an additional 154,703 shares during the period. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 333,193 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $51,275,000 after purchasing an additional 32,663 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $202.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. This trade represents a 20.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Stock Down 4.4 %

Shares of AVAV traded down $7.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $154.88. 60,496 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 411,765. The firm has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.21 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.83. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $236.60.

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.