AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

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

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $146.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $208.50.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $189.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 3.07 and a current ratio of 4.22. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 160.72 and a beta of 0.81. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $236.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at $14,765,306.80. This trade represents a 20.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,759,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in AeroVironment by 281.6% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 430,307 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $51,288,000 after purchasing an additional 317,530 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $46,789,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $37,502,000. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $91,000,000 after buying an additional 221,948 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% 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.

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