AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Trading Up 4.3%

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)’s share price was up 4.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $210.49 and last traded at $209.14. Approximately 119,845 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 344,205 shares. The stock had previously closed at $200.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on AVAV shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of AeroVironment from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $216.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Raymond James downgraded shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Baird R W raised AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.20.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.32 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $183.49 and its 200 day moving average is $178.09. The company has a current ratio of 4.26, a quick ratio of 3.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.28. AeroVironment had a return on equity of 9.87% and a net margin of 7.82%. The firm had revenue of $189.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.18 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 9,867 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.23, for a total value of $1,669,792.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 99,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,904,723.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 9,867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.23, for a total value of $1,669,792.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 99,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,904,723.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 513 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.70, for a total value of $89,621.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,650 shares in the company, valued at $3,258,155. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,776 shares of company stock valued at $1,837,117. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the first quarter worth $26,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 50.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 401 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.