SG Americas Securities LLC Has $796,000 Stock Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 59.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,174 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 1,935 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 24.5% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,137 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,215,000 after acquiring an additional 4,550 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 21,926 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,994,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,758 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at about $516,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AeroVironment stock traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $171.98. The company had a trading volume of 228,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,100. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $170.18 and a 200 day moving average of $185.92. 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 firm has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 98.84 and a beta of 0.50. AeroVironment, Inc. has a one year low of $119.46 and a one year high of $236.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share 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 firm 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 business 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, sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 508 shares of AeroVironment 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 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. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. William Blair reiterated 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 reduced their target price for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $225.20.

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.