AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Short Interest Update

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was the target of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, an increase of 48.2% from the November 30th total of 1,640,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 446,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.4 days.

AeroVironment Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded down $3.84 during trading on Friday, reaching $157.66. The stock had a trading volume of 345,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,559. The company has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.61 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $192.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.51. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. AeroVironment has a 52 week low of $116.51 and a 52 week high of $236.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.29). The business had revenue of $188.46 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.80 million. AeroVironment had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 6.39%. AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on AVAV shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Raymond James lowered AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $225.20.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 508 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.65, for a total value of $110,058.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,654,452.20. The trade was a 2.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 1,782 shares of company stock valued at $373,609 in the last 90 days. 1.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in AeroVironment by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 1,951,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $391,254,000 after buying an additional 439,717 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 19,950.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 267,066 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,547,000 after purchasing an additional 265,734 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 155.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 321,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $64,457,000 after purchasing an additional 195,443 shares in the last quarter. Heard Capital LLC grew its position in AeroVironment by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $118,723,000 after purchasing an additional 120,447 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in AeroVironment by 108.4% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 180,824 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,255,000 after purchasing an additional 94,062 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.