AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Receives $140.20 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $140.20.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AVAV shares. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $161.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, March 8th.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AeroVironment stock opened at $157.99 on Thursday. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $88.24 and a 1 year high of $184.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $146.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.43. The company has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.66 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.16 and a current ratio of 4.66.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.30. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 15.14% and a positive return on equity of 13.93%. The firm had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.00, for a total transaction of $350,079.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,310. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Melissa Ann Brown sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.77, for a total value of $176,770.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,339 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,181,165.03. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,913 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.00, for a total transaction of $350,079.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,570 shares in the company, valued at $470,310. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Bfsg LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 44.1% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 327 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.