Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Invests $333,000 in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,162 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $333,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 299.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,821 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,893 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 721 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 63.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,231 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 740.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 63,919 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $9,836,000 after buying an additional 56,318 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 20,409 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,141,000 after buying an additional 2,601 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was 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. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $4.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $156.99. 484,258 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 340,080. 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 12 month low of $121.38 and a 12 month high of $236.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.22 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $166.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.39.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm posted $0.97 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on AVAV shares. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price 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.