MetLife Investment Management LLC Purchases 1,923 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,829 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 1,923 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of AeroVironment worth $2,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Colonial Trust Advisors bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1,515.4% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 210 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on AVAV shares. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James raised 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. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $202.00.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ AVAV traded up $2.23 on Friday, reaching $157.44. The stock had a trading volume of 107,824 shares, compared to its average volume of 448,523. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $236.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $135.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.32. The company has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction 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 $14,765,306.80. This represents a 20.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

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.