Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Takes $278,000 Position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,203 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $278,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at $25,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 77.2% in the fourth quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC now owns 388 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 47.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the first quarter valued at $47,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $150.02 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $144.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $130.23. The company has a quick ratio of 3.16, a current ratio of 4.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.81 and a beta of 0.44. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.24 and a 12 month high of $184.61.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.30. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 15.14%. The firm had revenue of $186.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AVAV shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on AeroVironment from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $161.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.20.

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.