AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Holdings Raised by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 142,733 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,820 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.51% of AeroVironment worth $30,642,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Security National Bank acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $36,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 23.1% in the third quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 400 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 47.4% in the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at $95,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the subject of several analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Raymond James lowered shares of AeroVironment from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Alembic Global Advisors raised AeroVironment from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $216.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of AeroVironment from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $161.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 878 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.54, for a total value of $184,854.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 17,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,658,343.04. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 1,782 shares of company stock valued at $372,615 over the last three months. 1.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded up $4.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $219.67. The stock had a trading volume of 234,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 333,855. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $201.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.54. The company has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.62 and a beta of 0.49. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.51 and a 1-year high of $227.18. The company has a quick ratio of 3.04, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.28. AeroVironment had a net margin of 7.82% and a return on equity of 9.87%. The company had revenue of $189.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.18 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. AeroVironment's revenue for the quarter was up 24.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

AeroVironment 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.