Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Raises Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 101.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,920 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,987 shares during the quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AVAV. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 281.6% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 430,307 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $51,288,000 after purchasing an additional 317,530 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 48.2% during the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 902,814 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $107,606,000 after purchasing an additional 293,553 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $91,000,000 after purchasing an additional 221,948 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth $23,501,000. Finally, Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth $16,802,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 1.1%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $369.91 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $315.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.96 and a quick ratio of 5.12. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.47 billion, a PE ratio of -577.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.99.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.67% and a negative net margin of 4.14%.The company had revenue of $132.62 million for the quarter. Research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $399.74, for a total value of $398,940.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,724,575.76. This trade represents a 4.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Trace E. Stevenson sold 1,717 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $381.00, for a total value of $654,177.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,907 shares in the company, valued at $1,869,567. This trade represents a 25.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AVAV shares. New Street Research set a $365.00 target price on AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $335.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on AeroVironment from $300.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on AeroVironment from $300.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, JMP Securities increased their target price on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $356.07.

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.