Stifel Financial Corp Increases Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,720 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 17,618 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,711,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,650 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,290,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total value of $3,764,721.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.0 %

AeroVironment stock opened at $161.96 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.36, a current ratio of 4.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a market cap of $4.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.08 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a fifty day moving average of $135.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $164.83. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $236.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James raised shares of AeroVironment from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $202.00.

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.