701 Shares in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Bought by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 701 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $108,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AVAV. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 29.1% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 1,951,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $391,254,000 after purchasing an additional 439,717 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 155.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 321,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $64,457,000 after buying an additional 195,443 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 154,703 shares during the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 25.5% during the third quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $118,723,000 after purchasing an additional 120,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 108.4% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 180,824 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,255,000 after purchasing an additional 94,062 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AVAV shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $225.20.

AeroVironment Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $151.60 on Wednesday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.74 and a 52-week high of $236.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.12 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $166.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.64.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.29). The company had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. AeroVironment had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 6.39%. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.73, for a total transaction of $78,697.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,472 shares in the company, valued at $3,273,480.56. This represents a 2.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.