AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

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

Several other research firms have also weighed in on AVAV. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on AeroVironment from $146.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, 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 research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $208.50.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded up $4.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $195.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,058,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 436,818. 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 has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $236.60. The firm has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.48 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $156.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was 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 directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 101 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted 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 buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Colonial Trust Advisors acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.