Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 34.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,219 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 4,367 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Eqis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,569 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $1,132,000. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 66.1% during the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management & Equity Research Inc. now owns 43,113 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,448,000 after buying an additional 17,163 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 2.6% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 63,914 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,423,000 after buying an additional 1,629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 38.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 195,630 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,106,000 after buying an additional 54,403 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.75% of the company’s stock.
In other news, Chairman Timothy E. Conver sold 6,896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.18, for a total transaction of $394,313.28. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 56,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,203,909.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 48,272 shares of company stock valued at $2,853,151. Insiders own 10.50% of the company’s stock.
AVAV stock traded up $0.95 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $64.35. The company had a trading volume of 185,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,932. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.61 and a 52 week high of $95.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.48, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 10.18 and a quick ratio of 9.01. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.76.
AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 3rd. The aerospace company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $83.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.53 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 11.60% and a return on equity of 8.59%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.29 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.
Several equities research analysts have commented on AVAV shares. BidaskClub upgraded AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of AeroVironment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Piper Jaffray Companies restated a “buy” rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. AeroVironment has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $74.92.
AeroVironment 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.
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