Brokerages Set AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Target Price at $202.40

Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the eight research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $202.40.

Several brokerages have weighed in on AVAV. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $113.38 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36. The company has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of 65.16 and a beta of 0.74. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $236.60.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the firm’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. This trade represents a 20.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Redwood Investments LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Redwood Investments LLC now owns 9,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 0.8% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,601 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $246,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $2,711,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 120.2% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.