Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 51,959 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.07% of AeroVironment worth $1,111,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $259.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $367.00.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bull case: a Seeking Alpha deep dive highlights the BlueHalo acquisition, the firm’s LOCUST directed‑energy progress, a $1.1B funded / $3B unfunded backlog and ~93% 2026 revenue visibility — analysts there model a fair value near $290, supporting upside vs. recent prices. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum note: The Motley Fool reports AVAV “climbed 15%” recently, citing an unexpected catalyst and increased Wall Street attention — this type of momentum can attract short‑term buyers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage: UBS initiated coverage with a “neutral” rating and a $259 price target (slightly below recent levels) — this provides more liquidity in analyst views but is unlikely to spark a major re‑rating on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: AV’s CFO will appear at the Citizens Technology Conference (fireside chat March 2, to be webcast) — useful for incremental transparency but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: a Yahoo piece questions whether the recent ~33% pullback already prices in risk and examines DCF upside potential — highlights disagreement among investors on fair value, which can sustain volatility. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Critical take: a Seeking Alpha column titled “Shockingly Uninteresting” raises skeptical points on growth durability and excitement, which can reinforce selling pressure among more value‑oriented investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Noisy short‑interest reports: multiple feeds flagged a “large increase” in February short interest, but the published figures appear inconsistent/erroneous (zeros/NaN). Even so, headlines about rising shorts can trigger fear/stop‑loss selling and add to intraday downside.

AeroVironment Stock Down 6.0%

AeroVironment stock opened at $264.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of -211.70, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 1.23. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.25 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $285.39 and its 200 day moving average is $293.70. The company has a quick ratio of 4.29, a current ratio of 5.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by ($0.43). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company had revenue of $472.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $466.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $68,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 50,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,819,025. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 4,339 shares of company stock valued at $1,353,910 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV) is a technology company specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), tactical missiles and precision loitering munitions, electric vehicle charging and scalable energy systems. Headquartered in Monrovia, California, the company develops solutions for defense, public safety and commercial markets. Their offerings include small UAS for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as advanced weapons systems designed to meet the needs of modern military operations.

The company’s unmanned aerial systems portfolio features platforms such as the Raven, Puma and Switchblade series, which are deployed by the U.S.