Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. Sells 53,433 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. decreased its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 378,096 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 53,433 shares during the quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. owned 1.34% of AeroVironment worth $47,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,813 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 44.1% during the fourth 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 last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 77.2% in the fourth quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC now owns 388 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 11,666 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,301,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Trading Up 0.6 %

AVAV stock traded up $1.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $193.83. The stock had a trading volume of 192,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 335,353. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $159.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.16. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $88.24 and a 1-year high of $197.55. The firm has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.82 and a beta of 0.44.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $186.60 million for 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 previous year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, 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 completion of the sale, 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 at the SEC website. In other news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, 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 at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.77, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AVAV shares. William Blair reaffirmed 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 stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $161.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $140.20.

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.

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