Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $1.10 Million in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,492 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,100,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AVAV. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 60.0% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 7.8% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 72.1% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 105 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $393,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $211.88 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -48.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.25 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.12.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.AeroVironment’s revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. BTIG Research dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.78.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and commentators highlight a value entry / technical bottom after the March selloff, noting institutional accumulation and a still‑large backlog that could support a rebound. AeroVironment Touches Down On Value Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms kept Buy/Overweight ratings even while trimming price targets, signaling analyst conviction that upside remains once near‑term headwinds clear. Analyst notes (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 results showed revenue up ~143% YoY (~$408M) but missed revenue and EPS estimates; FY‑2026 EPS guidance was trimmed to $2.75–$3.10 — strong growth but weaker near‑term visibility. Q3 miss and outlook (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Backlog and demand signals remain constructive (record backlog cited), which supports medium‑term revenue prospects if contract timing stabilizes. QuiverQuant earnings/opinion summary
• Negative Sentiment: Contract uncertainty: reports of the Space Force SCAR program stop‑work/possible termination create ~$1.4–1.7B of backlog risk and were a major reason for the recent selloff. SCAR contract uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Financing risk: disclosure of a $727M notes issuance raises leverage, tightens covenants and increases liquidity risk — a new material consideration for investors. Notes issuance risk (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal & insider headline risk: Pomerantz launched an investor probe and the CFO disclosed a small sale of shares — both raise short‑term headline noise. Pomerantz investigation (PR Newswire) CFO Form 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the feeds looks inconsistent (reported as 0/NaN) — no clear short squeeze signal from the available data. Short interest notes (Benzinga)

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Profile

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.