Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Increases Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 40.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 541,541 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 154,703 shares during the quarter. AeroVironment accounts for 1.1% of Stephens Investment Management Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned about 1.92% of AeroVironment worth $83,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 3,080.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 318 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

AeroVironment Trading Down 6.5 %

Shares of AVAV stock traded down $11.65 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $167.70. 703,121 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 353,573. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.38 and a 12-month high of $236.60. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company's 50-day moving average price is $166.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $186.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.38 and a beta of 0.52.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,273,480.56. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.27% 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.