Deutsche Bank AG Purchases 9,621 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 28.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,584 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 9,621 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.15% of AeroVironment worth $6,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AVAV. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird dropped 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. Raymond James upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $197.83.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of AVAV traded down $2.56 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $166.73. 518,332 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 413,749. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61. The company has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 95.82 and a beta of 0.80. The firm's 50 day moving average is $142.02 and its 200-day moving average is $161.13. AeroVironment, Inc. 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 business'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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

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.