AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Acquired by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,720 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,789,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,502,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $328,598,000 after purchasing an additional 183,887 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 415.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 198,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $30,620,000 after purchasing an additional 160,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $83,338,000 after purchasing an additional 154,703 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,174 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ AVAV traded down $2.60 on Friday, hitting $165.78. 368,198 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 411,454. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a PE ratio of 95.28 and a beta of 0.80. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $236.60. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $136.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.69. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $202.00.

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.