AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BidaskClub from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday, November 21st, BidAskClub reports.
AVAV has been the subject of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Piper Jaffray Companies reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. William Blair reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Canaccord Genuity set a $80.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.72.
Shares of AVAV traded up $0.17 on Thursday, hitting $61.89. 201,415 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 134,932. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $48.61 and a 1 year high of $95.38. The company has a quick ratio of 9.26, a current ratio of 10.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $59.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.82 and a beta of 1.15.
AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.39. AeroVironment had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $86.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $85.25 million. Research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 1.65 EPS for the current year.
In other news, Chairman Timothy E. Conver sold 6,896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.10, for a total value of $435,137.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 56,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,575,246. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 48,272 shares of company stock valued at $2,818,947 in the last three months. Company insiders own 10.50% of the company’s stock.
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eqis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 18.1% in the second quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,569 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $1,132,000. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 66.1% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. now owns 43,113 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 17,163 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 38.5% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 195,630 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,106,000 after purchasing an additional 54,403 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 133.6% in the second quarter. Man Group plc now owns 28,606 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,624,000 after purchasing an additional 16,358 shares during the period. 85.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
AeroVironment Company Profile
AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, supports, and operates a portfolio of products and services for government agencies and businesses. The company offers unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and related services primarily to organizations within the U.S. Department of Defense and to international allied governments; and tactical missile systems and related services to organizations within the U.S.
Featured Story: What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI)?
Receive News & Ratings for AeroVironment Daily – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings for AeroVironment and related companies with MarketBeat.com’s FREE daily email newsletter.