Royal Bank of Canada Has $16.66 Million Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,265 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,587 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.38% of AeroVironment worth $16,660,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 149.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 57,245 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $11,477,000 after purchasing an additional 34,318 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 59.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,174 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $796,000 after acquiring an additional 1,935 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in AeroVironment by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 20,409 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,141,000 after acquiring an additional 2,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in AeroVironment by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,170 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $642,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 0.7%

AVAV stock traded up $1.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $173.71. 118,335 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 417,200. AeroVironment, Inc. has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $236.60. 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 $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 99.82 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $148.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $159.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company 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 research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $197.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

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.