AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Stock Purchased by Pinnacle Associates Ltd.

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 29.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 191,312 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 43,667 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $27,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,342,000 after acquiring an additional 3,120 shares during the last quarter. Canal Insurance CO boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Canal Insurance CO now owns 80,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $11,378,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Clark Financial Services Group Inc. BD boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clark Financial Services Group Inc. BD now owns 1,793 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 302.8% during the 3rd quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 7,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 5,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 13.6% during the third quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,054 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $861,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Australian manufacturing expansion: AeroVironment partnered with NIOA Australia to explore local production, co-production and sustainment of one-way attack systems. The arrangement could improve AVAV’s access to Australian and broader Indo-Pacific defense markets, while supporting local supply chains and recurring sustainment revenue. AeroVironment Expands Australian Defense Manufacturing Through NIOA
• Positive Sentiment: Favorable sector outlook: Macquarie Research initiated coverage of AeroVironment with an Outperform rating, identifying the company as a beneficiary of a projected multiyear aerospace and defense investment cycle. The firm cited rising sovereign defense spending and demand for autonomous systems, drone warfare and space technologies. Top Aerospace & Defense Stocks According to Macquarie Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer-sector activity: AeroVironment shares edged higher alongside Kratos as Red Cat Holdings’ proposed acquisition of Steyr Motors drew attention to drone propulsion and defense technology. The move offered limited company-specific information for AVAV. Red Cat Jumps 8% on Cash Offer for Steyr Motors; AeroVironment and Kratos Edge Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target reduction: Citizens JMP lowered its AVAV target to $170 from $230 while retaining a Market Outperform rating. The cut reflects budget and election uncertainty and may weigh on sentiment, although the revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. AeroVironment Price Target Lowered at Citizens

AeroVironment Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $117.63 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $149.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.40. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.30 and a 12-month high of $408.25. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -50.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.36.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.04% and a negative net margin of 5.77%. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total transaction of $41,381.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,592,271.68. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total transaction of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,484.31. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 805 shares of company stock worth $142,671 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AVAV. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $315.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 5th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.80.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies uncrewed aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems, space systems and related autonomous technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, tactical communications and other defense and security missions.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Quantix unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.