AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Shares Purchased by Vista Investment Partners LLC

Vista Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 22.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 16,451 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,996 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $2,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 1st quarter worth about $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth about $633,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in AeroVironment by 5,200.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 0.4% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,892,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total transaction of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on AVAV shares. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $210.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Army is expected to purchase at least $400 million of AeroVironment’s anti-drone laser systems, according to a person familiar with the matter. The reported order would represent the Pentagon’s first production purchase of a directed-energy counter-drone system beyond the prototype stage, potentially validating the technology and creating a meaningful new revenue opportunity. US Army to Spend $400 Million on AeroVironment Anti-Drone Lasers
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is also focused on the potential for laser-based counter-drone weapons to move from testing into broader military deployment. Such an expansion could strengthen AeroVironment’s position in the growing counter-UAS market and support longer-term defense-contract momentum. AVAV Stock Jumps on Reported Army Deal
• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment appointed Michael D. Ruppert to its board. His more than 25 years of aerospace and defense financial, strategic and corporate-development experience—including his role as ManTech’s chief financial officer—could add relevant industry and governance expertise. AeroVironment Appoints Michael D. Ruppert to Board
• Neutral Sentiment: A promotional investor article highlighted AeroVironment as a leading drone-industry company benefiting from rising military demand, autonomous systems, and increased defense budgets. The commentary supports the sector narrative but does not provide a new contract, financial forecast, or company-specific operating update. The Drone Supercycle Wall Street Still Hasn’t Priced In

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $186.73 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.74, a PEG ratio of 6.35 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 4.30 and a quick ratio of 3.59. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $135.20 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $163.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.60.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.The firm had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.