AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 66.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,777 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 220,147 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.40% of AeroVironment worth $17,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.2% in 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. increased its stake in AeroVironment by 9.4% during 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $93,759,000. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $83,338,000 after buying an additional 154,703 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AVAV. Raymond James raised shares of AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $197.83.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded up $0.77 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $167.50. The stock had a trading volume of 59,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 412,947. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $142.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $161.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.13 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $236.60.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

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.