AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Short Interest Up 18.5% in January

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAVGet Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,880,000 shares, an increase of 18.5% from the December 31st total of 2,430,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 441,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.5 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.73, for a total transaction of $78,697.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,273,480.56. This trade represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 21,926 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,994,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in AeroVironment by 3.1% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,758 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,870,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at approximately $516,000. Finally, Creative Planning grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 203.1% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,077 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $743,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 4.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded up $8.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $180.15. 399,730 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 335,479. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $169.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.82. AeroVironment has a 12 month low of $119.46 and a 12 month high of $236.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.53 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAVGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). AeroVironment had a net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The firm had revenue of $188.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.20.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on AVAV

About AeroVironment

(Get Free Report)

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.

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