AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Short Interest Up 48.2% in December

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, a growth 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 short-interest ratio is presently 5.4 days.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AVAV stock traded down $3.84 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $157.66. 345,640 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 372,559. AeroVironment has a 12-month low of $116.51 and a 12-month high of $236.60. The company has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a PE ratio of 90.61 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $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 (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.29). The business had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. AeroVironment had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 6.39%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 878 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.54, for a total transaction of $184,854.12. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 17,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,658,343.04. The trade was a 4.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,782 shares of company stock worth $373,609. Insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 29.6% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 27,259 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,965,000 after purchasing an additional 6,219 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $330,000. Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 1.3% in the second quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 13,446 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,449,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 1.5% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 4,609 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.