Stifel Financial Corp Buys 5,339 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 93.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,030 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,339 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $2,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AVAV. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 1,951,393 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $391,254,000 after purchasing an additional 439,717 shares during the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 25.5% in the third quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $118,723,000 after purchasing an additional 120,447 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 19,950.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 267,066 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $53,547,000 after acquiring an additional 265,734 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 4.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 256,688 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $51,466,000 after acquiring an additional 9,921 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 217,666 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $43,642,000 after purchasing an additional 20,207 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded up $2.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $164.03. 1,361,372 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 373,785. The firm has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a PE ratio of 94.27 and a beta of 0.45. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.51 and a fifty-two week high of $236.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $199.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $191.44.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.29). The firm had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.80 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Raymond James cut shares of AeroVironment from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $216.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of AeroVironment from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $161.00 to $220.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $225.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 16,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,273,480.56. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,782 shares of company stock worth $373,609. Corporate 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.