AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Short Interest Up 18.5% in December

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

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of AeroVironment stock traded up $3.35 on Friday, reaching $168.74. The company had a trading volume of 317,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,256. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $175.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.66. AeroVironment has a 1 year low of $119.46 and a 1 year high of $236.60. The firm has a market cap of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.98 and a beta of 0.50. 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 (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). AeroVironment had a net margin of 6.39% and a return on equity of 8.12%. The firm had revenue of $188.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 508 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.65, for a total transaction of $110,058.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,654,452.20. This represents a 2.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AeroVironment

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Security National Bank bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 51.0% during the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 394 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $240.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $225.20.

About AeroVironment

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.