AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Sold by Aquila Investment Management LLC

Aquila Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 50.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 12,000 shares during the quarter. AeroVironment accounts for 1.3% of Aquila Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Aquila Investment Management LLC's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 19.5% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 581 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,893 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc. now owns 30,312 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,100,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 4,908 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $502,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded down $1.37 on Friday, hitting $147.12. The stock had a trading volume of 239,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 323,217. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $88.24 and a 52-week high of $184.61. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.13 and a beta of 0.44. The company's 50 day moving average price is $141.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $129.19.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.62 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 15.14%. The firm's revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 2,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,310. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other AeroVironment news, 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 transaction of $176,770.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $470,310. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.