Vista Investment Partners LLC Raises Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Vista Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,032 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,838 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $2,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $206,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 24.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,137 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,215,000 after buying an additional 4,550 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 42.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,684 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,405,000 after buying an additional 2,283 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 21,926 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,994,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of AeroVironment 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,472 shares in the company, valued at $3,273,480.56. This trade represents a 2.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AeroVironment Trading Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $180.36. The company had a trading volume of 319,207 shares, compared to its average volume of 285,757. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.46 and a 1 year high of $236.60. The company has a market cap of $5.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 103.66 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $171.52 and a 200 day moving average of $185.93. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

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 (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 firm had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $181.80 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target 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.