AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,007 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 5,789 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AeroVironment worth $10,394,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. State of Michigan Retirement System acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,393,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 550.7% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $56,115,000 after acquiring an additional 150,819 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,355,000. Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth approximately $37,787,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in AeroVironment by 1.4% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after acquiring an additional 4,745 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $329.89.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $207.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The company has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $282.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $292.68. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing defense demand and strategic positioning could support long‑term upside — analysts and commentary note strong secular demand for drones/C‑UAS and AeroVironment’s product set (Titan RF, counter‑drone tech) as a tailwind. KeyBanc Flags AeroVironment (AVAV) as Top Iran Conflict Winner
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat frames the pullback as a value opportunity given a still‑healthy balance sheet, backlog and institutional buying; this view supports a potential rebound if execution and contract clarity improve. AeroVironment Touches Down On Value Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate insider activity — the CFO sold 396 shares (SEC filing). Small in size but worth noting for active traders who monitor insider transactions. SEC Form 4 – Kevin Patrick McDonnell
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 results missed expectations: revenue of ~$408M (vs. ~\$488M est.) and adjusted EPS of $0.64 missed consensus; management cut FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.75–$3.10 and trimmed revenue guidance — the core reason for the selloff. AeroVironment Shares Plunge on Q3 Miss and Weak Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Material contract uncertainty: reports highlight potential termination/uncertainty around the SCAR program and exposure tied to a ~$1.7B Space Force contract — a direct hit to revenue visibility. AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Plunges 9% on Q3 Miss and $1.7B Contract Uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: New debt issuance: AeroVironment disclosed $727M in notes which raises leverage, tightens covenants and increases liquidity risk — a balance‑sheet factor investors may view unfavorably while revenue visibility is reduced. AeroVironment’s $727 Million Notes Raise Leverage, Tighten Covenants and Heighten Liquidity Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst targets and ratings were trimmed across multiple firms (Stifel, RBC, KeyBanc, UBS, others), reflecting reduced near‑term expectations and weighing on sentiment. Analyst Price Target Moves (Benzinga roundup)
• Negative Sentiment: Investor litigation alert: a law firm announced an investigation into shareholder claims, which adds legal/overhang risk. Pomerantz Investor Alert

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.