AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Position Boosted by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 17.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 288,450 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,610 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $41,023,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AVAV. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at approximately $574,566,000. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in AeroVironment by 20.1% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 595,134 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $84,640,000 after purchasing an additional 99,494 shares in the last quarter. American Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $69,745,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth $67,549,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,901,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

More AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment amended its revolving credit facility, which may provide additional financing flexibility; the available report does not specify the revised terms or their expected financial effect. Article: AeroVironment Expands Revolving Credit Facility Through Amendment
• Neutral Sentiment: A review of recent results notes that revenue and net income improved, but cites contract issues, lawsuits and goodwill write-downs as factors that have weighed on shareholder returns. Article: What AeroVironment Investors Missed Before A 52% Fall
• Negative Sentiment: A key overhang is the U.S. Space Force’s decision to halt work on a BlueHalo-related contract worth about $1.7 billion and reopen bidding to other suppliers. The change raises uncertainty about contract prospects and competition for AeroVironment. Article: AeroVironment Could Be 19% Overvalued After Contract Bid Reopened
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are reassessing AeroVironment’s fair value amid concerns about defense funding, adding to uncertainty around future growth expectations. Article: AeroVironment Stock Fair Value Edges Lower As Analysts Reassess Defense Funding Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation commentary argues the shares may still be expensive relative to the company’s sales despite a steep year-long decline; another assessment estimates they could be overvalued. These concerns may limit investor appetite while expectations reset. Article: AeroVironment Stock May Be Expensive On Its 66% Slump
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp cut its price target for AVAV, signaling a less favorable analyst outlook. Article: AeroVironment Stock Price Target Cut by KeyCorp

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AVAV. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on AeroVironment from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $229.00 to $204.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.86.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total value of $38,067.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 48,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,347,484.31. This represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 805 shares of company stock valued at $142,671. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Down 8.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $113.23 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $139.23 and a 200-day moving average of $183.49. The company has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of -48.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 3.33 and a current ratio of 4.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $108.95 and a 52-week high of $408.25.

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

AeroVironment Company Profile

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.