MML Investors Services LLC Has $1.39 Million Stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 105.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in AeroVironment by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,170 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in AeroVironment by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,618 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,711,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,170 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,650 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,782 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AVAV. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James raised shares of AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six investment 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, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $202.00.

AeroVironment Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ:AVAV traded up $2.86 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $161.65. 183,073 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 412,100. 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 fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $236.60. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.80 and a beta of 0.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,765,306.80. This trade represents a 20.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AeroVironment 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.