AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,880,000 shares, an increase of 18.5% from the December 15th total of 2,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 441,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a report 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $225.20.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded up $3.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $168.74. The company had a trading volume of 317,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,763. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a current ratio of 4.61. AeroVironment has a fifty-two week low of $119.46 and a fifty-two week high of $236.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $176.49 and its 200-day moving average is $185.61. The company has a market cap of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.98 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 508 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.65, for a total transaction of $110,058.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,654,452.20. This trade represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AVAV. Radnor Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 1.0% during the third quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 5,965 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,196,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,609 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $840,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 400 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 1,434 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 394 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.