Emerald Advisers LLC Sells 31,657 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Emerald Advisers LLC decreased its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 15.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 179,874 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 31,657 shares during the quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $32,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 1st quarter worth about $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $285,000. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $633,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment by 5,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in AeroVironment by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 24,188 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,892,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about 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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 49,001 shares in the company, valued at $8,546,264.41. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $141.80 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $170.20 and its 200 day moving average is $219.76. The company has a current ratio of 4.30, a quick ratio of 3.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.39. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $135.20 and a 12-month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its earnings results on Monday, June 29th. The aerospace company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 9.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.71%. The business had revenue of $641.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $555.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 133.3% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of AeroVironment from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $210.00 to $180.00 in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $280.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $230.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.68.

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.