DNB Asset Management AS Boosts Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 400.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,853 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,685 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $6,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,111,585,000 after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $314,890,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 17.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $216,101,000 after purchasing an additional 101,713 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 15.7% in the third quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 614,444 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $193,390,000 after purchasing an additional 83,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 17.2% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 504,270 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $143,692,000 after purchasing an additional 73,963 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total transaction of $40,577.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,993,929.81. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,846 shares of company stock valued at $418,206. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AVAV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of AVAV opened at $161.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.35. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.00 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $192.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $252.95.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current 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.