AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $140.20.

A number of research firms have weighed in on AVAV. Robert W. Baird restated a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday, March 8th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, 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.

AeroVironment Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $146.70. The stock had a trading volume of 179,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 326,471. 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 cap of $4.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.04 and a beta of 0.44. The business's fifty day moving average price is $143.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.95. AeroVironment has a 52-week low of $88.24 and a 52-week high of $184.61.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.62 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 15.14%. AeroVironment's quarterly revenue was up 38.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. Analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 2.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,181,165.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.00, for a total value 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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.77, for a total value of $176,770.00. Following the completion of 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. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in AeroVironment by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,882 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in AeroVironment by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 581 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in AeroVironment by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,813 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its position in AeroVironment by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 327 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in AeroVironment by 47.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 390 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is 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.