AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Acquired by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 3,565.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 171,288 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 166,615 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $21,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 74.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 82,399 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $9,190,000 after purchasing an additional 35,095 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 38,678 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,314,000 after buying an additional 9,216 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,232 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $133,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 50.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,206 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

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

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $181.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.10 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. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.24 and a 12 month high of $184.61. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.24.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $186.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.62 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 15.14% and a positive return on equity of 13.93%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.