Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Purchases Shares of 3,677 AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,677 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $438,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 41.7% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 8,559 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,317,000 after purchasing an additional 2,518 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $279,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $893,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,098,822 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $476,878,000 after buying an additional 35,543 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 415.7% during 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $6.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $261.51. 466,695 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 833,811. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $226.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.90 billion, a PE ratio of 169.10 and a beta of 0.96. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $295.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 3.52.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 24th. The aerospace company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $275.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.69 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 10.68%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on AVAV. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 22nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Sunday, June 29th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Sunday, June 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, June 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $301.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $268.00.

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.