Analysts Set AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Target Price at $225.20

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $225.20.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 5th.

AeroVironment Stock Down 2.7 %

AVAV opened at $156.99 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.22 and a beta of 0.52. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $121.38 and a twelve month high of $236.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $166.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.24.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.29). The company had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $181.80 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.73, for a total value of $78,697.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,273,480.56. This represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at $248,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,065 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 47.4% in the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $241,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.