AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Raised to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped 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. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on AeroVironment from $146.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James raised AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.50.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.3%

NASDAQ AVAV traded up $4.30 on Friday, reaching $190.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,129,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,237. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 109.71 and a beta of 0.81. 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 has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $236.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $155.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total value of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at $14,765,306.80. This represents a 20.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 171.1% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 244 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Colonial Trust Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

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.

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