Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $1.32 Million Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,559 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,518 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,317,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $46,789,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 155.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 321,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $64,457,000 after acquiring an additional 195,443 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in AeroVironment by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $328,598,000 after acquiring an additional 183,887 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $83,338,000 after acquiring an additional 154,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heard Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 25.5% during the third quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $118,723,000 after purchasing an additional 120,447 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of 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 lowered 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 restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.40.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $120.93 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $152.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.07 and a 52-week high of $236.60. The stock has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a PE ratio of 69.50 and a beta of 0.42.

AeroVironment 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.