Van ECK Associates Corp Has $216.10 Million Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 17.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 101,713 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 1.37% of AeroVironment worth $216,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Swiss National Bank raised its position in AeroVironment by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 62,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $19,712,000 after buying an additional 8,700 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $548,000. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,523 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $227.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a PE ratio of -181.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $283.71 and a 200-day moving average of $293.41. AeroVironment, Inc. has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The business had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,589 shares of company stock worth $1,428,910 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on AVAV shares. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $350.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.33.

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV) is a technology company specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), tactical missiles and precision loitering munitions, electric vehicle charging and scalable energy systems. Headquartered in Monrovia, California, the company develops solutions for defense, public safety and commercial markets. Their offerings include small UAS for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as advanced weapons systems designed to meet the needs of modern military operations.

The company’s unmanned aerial systems portfolio features platforms such as the Raven, Puma and Switchblade series, which are deployed by the U.S.