AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Short Interest Up 18.5% in January

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,880,000 shares, a growth of 18.5% from the December 31st total of 2,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 441,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $225.20.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,472 shares in the company, valued at $3,273,480.56. This represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Security National Bank bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 1,515.4% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 210 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV traded down $7.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $172.98. 449,223 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 340,925. The firm's fifty day moving average is $169.01 and its 200 day moving average is $186.17. The company has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 99.41 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 4.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $119.54 and a fifty-two week high of $236.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last issued 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). AeroVironment had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 6.39%. The business had revenue of $188.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.80 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.