AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives $140.20 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.20.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $187.28. 356,826 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 337,627. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $157.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.83. 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 has a 12 month low of $88.24 and a 12 month high of $192.49. The firm has a market cap of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of -43.45 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment 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 completion of the sale, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,181,165.03. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,310. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 106.9% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 556,853 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $62,106,000 after buying an additional 287,730 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,860,954 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $319,082,000 after purchasing an additional 209,359 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 3,565.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 171,288 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $21,589,000 after purchasing an additional 166,615 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at about $20,287,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 187.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 221,749 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $27,949,000 after purchasing an additional 144,628 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% 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.