Virtu Financial LLC Invests $282,000 in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,835 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth about $46,789,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 155.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 321,479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $64,457,000 after purchasing an additional 195,443 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $328,598,000 after purchasing an additional 183,887 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $83,338,000 after buying an additional 154,703 shares during the period. Finally, Heard Capital LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 25.5% in the third quarter. Heard Capital LLC now owns 592,136 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $118,723,000 after buying an additional 120,447 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on AVAV shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $202.40.

AeroVironment Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $123.59 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $153.36 and its 200 day moving average is $177.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.07 and a 1 year high of $236.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.03 and a beta of 0.42.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 115,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.27% 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.