MetLife Investment Management LLC Buys 1,923 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,829 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,923 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $2,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in AeroVironment by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in AeroVironment by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 1,650 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at $14,765,306.80. This trade represents a 20.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AVAV. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded AeroVironment from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $202.00.

AeroVironment Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $149.59 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 85.97 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.39. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.25 and a 1 year high of $236.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36.

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.