AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Purchased by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 93,039 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 4,478 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.33% of AeroVironment worth $14,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 299.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,821 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,037,000 after acquiring an additional 3,614 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 333,193 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $51,275,000 after buying an additional 32,663 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $404,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 415.7% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 198,975 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $30,620,000 after buying an additional 160,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 217,806 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,518,000 after acquiring an additional 84,170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $202.00.

AeroVironment Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $149.59 on Monday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $236.60. The stock has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.97 and a beta of 0.74. The company's 50-day moving average price is $135.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.39. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total value of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. This represents a 20.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

About AeroVironment

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.

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