AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target Raised to $165.00 at Royal Bank of Canada

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Royal Bank of Canada from $160.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the aerospace company's stock. Royal Bank of Canada's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 11.09% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Raymond James increased their price target on AeroVironment from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.20.

AeroVironment Trading Up 1.4 %

AeroVironment stock traded up $2.11 during trading on Friday, hitting $148.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 262,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 341,858. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.46 and a beta of 0.44. The stock's fifty day moving average is $139.14 and its 200 day moving average is $127.64. AeroVironment has a 1-year low of $88.24 and a 1-year high of $184.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.16 and a current ratio of 4.66.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.30. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 15.14%. The firm 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 business earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.77, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,310. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.77, for a total transaction of $176,770.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,339 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,165.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bfsg LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.