Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Takes Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 10,943 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,806,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $261,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Family Legacy Inc. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 2,326 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 2,667 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $645,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on AVAV. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, June 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $248.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $144.65 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.59, a current ratio of 4.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $135.20 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.31, a PEG ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.48.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.71% and a negative net margin of 9.00%.AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.61 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the company’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 sale, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 705 shares of company stock worth $132,979 over the last 90 days. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Landmark $464.8 million laser contract: The Army selected AeroVironment to deliver dozens of LOCUST X3 high-energy laser systems under its Enduring-High Energy Laser program. It is described as the first U.S. directed-energy weapon production award, moving the technology from testing toward field deployment and strengthening AVAV’s position in counter-drone defense. AV’s LOCUST Selected for Nearly $500 million Army Counter-UAS Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Improved revenue visibility and potential growth platform: The multiyear award could establish a new business line for directed-energy systems and expand AeroVironment’s broader counter-UAS opportunity. It may also support future technology development and additional defense orders. AeroVironment’s $465 Million Army Laser Win Expands Its Counter-Drone Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains intact: BTIG maintained its Buy rating and $205 price target following the contract announcement, suggesting the award reinforces the long-term investment case. AeroVironment’s New $465M LOCUST Laser Contract Reinforces Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Contract economics remain unclear: Investors still need evidence that the award will generate attractive margins and meaningful near-term earnings, rather than simply increasing backlog. Production ramp-up, delivery timing, and execution will be important factors. AeroVironment: The $465 Million LOCUST Win Needs Margin Proof
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution concerns are limiting the reaction: Commentary remains cautious about competition, limited near-term upside, and whether AeroVironment can translate the laser award into sustained margin expansion. Those concerns are contributing to the stock’s decline even after the headline contract win. Jim Cramer’s AeroVironment Comments

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.