AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 151.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,177 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 86,932 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.51% of AeroVironment worth $22,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 299.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,821 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,037,000 after buying an additional 3,614 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 333,193 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $51,275,000 after buying an additional 32,663 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at about $404,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 415.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 198,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $30,620,000 after buying an additional 160,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 63.0% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 217,806 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,518,000 after purchasing an additional 84,170 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on AVAV shares. Raymond James raised AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $202.00.

AeroVironment Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of AVAV traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $148.49. 109,721 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 411,994. The stock's 50-day moving average is $135.56 and its 200-day moving average is $168.35. 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 fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $236.60. The company has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.34 and a beta of 0.74.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

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

AeroVironment 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.