Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Stock Price

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price objective lowered by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $230.00 to $190.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 40.03% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $220.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.40.

AeroVironment Stock Down 4.4 %

AeroVironment stock traded down $6.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $135.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,983,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 407,163. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.98 and a beta of 0.52. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $108.40 and a fifty-two week high of $236.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $164.89 and its 200-day moving average is $184.37.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $188.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.80 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.97 earnings per share. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 185 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Colonial Trust Advisors acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

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.