AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 532,349 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 71,411 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $81,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 1.2% during 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 during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 2,135,280 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $328,598,000 after acquiring an additional 183,887 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 19,835 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 40.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 154,703 shares during the period. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 333,193 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $51,275,000 after purchasing an additional 32,663 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 29,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.20, for a total transaction of $3,764,721.20. Following 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.27% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of AVAV opened at $153.24 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $135.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.84. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $236.60. The company has a current ratio of 4.61, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 88.07 and a beta of 0.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AVAV. Raymond James upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $230.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $202.00.

AeroVironment 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.