AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $197.83.

AVAV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, May 12th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $178.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of 102.38 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.38. AeroVironment has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $236.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 115,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at $508,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at $508,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 7.3% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 37,591 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,480,000 after buying an additional 2,554 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Scientech Research LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 160.7% during the first quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 6,561 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $782,000 after buying an additional 4,044 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.