AeroVironment Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:AVAV)

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 6,247 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 187% compared to the average daily volume of 2,178 call options.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ AVAV traded up $18.54 on Friday, reaching $256.11. 1,509,127 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 571,235. The stock has a market cap of $12.64 billion, a PE ratio of 164.96 and a beta of 0.96. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $295.90. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $194.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 2.69.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 24th. The aerospace company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.20. AeroVironment had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $275.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $242.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 120.2% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Advisors bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 21.5% in the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 237 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings 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. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $240.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James Financial set a $225.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wedbush raised shares of AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $265.22.

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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