AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Sold by Baillie Gifford & Co.

Baillie Gifford & Co. trimmed its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 13.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 661,906 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 105,186 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned about 2.35% of AeroVironment worth $83,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 60.5% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,134 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 3,066 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 54.1% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,679 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 1,291 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 20.3% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 18,444 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,736,000 after buying an additional 3,117 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in AeroVironment by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,918 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $656,000 after purchasing an additional 894 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 41.4% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 11,831 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 3,466 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on AeroVironment from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $161.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.20.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $2.41 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $147.44. The stock had a trading volume of 236,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 336,650. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $88.24 and a 52 week high of $184.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $140.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of -34.21 and a beta of 0.44.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.62 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 15.14%. The company'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 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.00, for a total transaction of $350,079.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,310. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other AeroVironment 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 approximately $2,181,165.03. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $350,079.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,310. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment 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.