Canal Insurance CO Grows Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Canal Insurance CO increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 16.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the period. AeroVironment accounts for 2.8% of Canal Insurance CO’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Canal Insurance CO’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $12,814,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter worth about $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 133 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the sale, the director directly 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 available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock valued at $133,502. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AVAV. Wall Street Zen raised AeroVironment from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 5th. 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. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $305.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday. Two research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.68.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $141.80 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $170.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.76. The stock has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of -38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.39. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $135.20 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a current ratio of 4.30.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $641.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $555.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. AeroVironment’s revenue was up 133.3% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment announced that Italy’s Ministry of Defence granted its JUMP® 20 unmanned aircraft system the MQ-31A military designation, confirming the platform as an official military capability for the Italian Army. This could support future international sales and validates the product’s defense relevance. Article: AV Receives MQ-31A Designation from Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary says the stock is falling as investors rotate away from growth and defense-tech names, with traders also watching technical support levels. Article: Why Is AeroVironment Stock Falling Monday?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued reminders about a July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline in an existing securities class action tied to alleged misstatements and contract-related disclosures. These notices mainly add uncertainty and keep legal risk in focus for investors. Article: AVAV Deadline: AVAV Investors with Losses in Excess of $100K Have Opportunity to Lead AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: The securities-fraud allegations specifically cite concerns about AeroVironment’s reliance on a single-vendor bespoke contract and the later shift to multi-vendor commercial solutions, which may hurt investor confidence and keep the stock under pressure. Article: AVAV Shareholder Alert: AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Class Action Lawsuit – Investors Should Contact Levi & Korsinsky

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.