M & L Capital Management Ltd Makes New Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)

M & L Capital Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,400 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,000. AeroVironment makes up 0.0% of M & L Capital Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,098,822 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $476,878,000 after buying an additional 35,543 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $328,598,000 after acquiring an additional 183,887 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 654,024 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $100,670,000 after acquiring an additional 19,835 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter valued at about $93,759,000. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 40.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 541,541 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $83,338,000 after acquiring an additional 154,703 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $172.49 on Friday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $236.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 4.61 and a quick ratio of 3.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $159.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 99.13 and a beta of 0.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total value of $3,764,721.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 115,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,765,306.80. The trade was a 20.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James raised shares of AeroVironment from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $197.83.

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.