AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

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

A number of analysts have recently commented on AVAV shares. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.0 %

AeroVironment stock traded up $3.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $168.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 317,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,256. The stock's fifty day moving average is $175.30 and its 200 day moving average is $185.66. AeroVironment has a 1-year low of $119.46 and a 1-year high of $236.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.98 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The company had revenue of $188.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 508 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.65, for a total value of $110,058.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,868 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,654,452.20. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter worth $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 394 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.