AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Sets New 1-Year High at $198.18

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $198.18 and last traded at $197.65, with a volume of 14812 shares. The stock had previously closed at $197.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AVAV. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on AeroVironment from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $161.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.20.

AeroVironment Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 4.66, a quick ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a PE ratio of -45.66 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $161.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.14.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.30. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 15.14% and a positive return on equity of 13.93%. The business had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 38.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.00, for a total transaction of $350,079.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,310. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.00, for a total transaction of $350,079.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,310. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.77, for a total value of $176,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,181,165.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the first quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.