Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 175,649 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,916 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.62% of AeroVironment worth $27,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 29.1% during the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 1,951,393 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $391,254,000 after buying an additional 439,717 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 19,950.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 267,066 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $53,547,000 after purchasing an additional 265,734 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 155.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 321,479 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $64,457,000 after purchasing an additional 195,443 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $83,338,000 after purchasing an additional 154,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heard Capital LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $118,723,000 after purchasing an additional 120,447 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ AVAV traded down $1.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $155.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 244,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 362,259. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $121.38 and a 12 month high of $236.60. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $166.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $186.26. The company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.53 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $3,273,480.56. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $225.20.

About AeroVironment

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.