GAMMA Investing LLC Makes New $32,000 Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 267 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 16,722 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,108,000 after buying an additional 4,435 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 4,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $359,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 19,001 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,395,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $592,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.20.

AeroVironment Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $168.77 on Monday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $88.24 and a 1-year high of $184.61. The company has a market cap of $4.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.16 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 4.66 and a quick ratio of 3.16. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $151.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.91.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.30. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 15.14% and a positive return on equity of 13.93%. The company had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 38.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

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

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.