Analysts Set AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target at $225.20

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $225.20.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Raymond James lowered shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th.

AeroVironment Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $161.50 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $193.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $189.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.82 and a beta of 0.45. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $116.51 and a 1 year high of $236.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.29). AeroVironment had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 6.39%. The company had revenue of $188.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 508 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.65, for a total value of $110,058.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,868 shares in the company, valued at $3,654,452.20. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 1,782 shares of company stock valued at $373,609 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Security National Bank bought a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 394 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 400 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.