AGP Franklin LLC Makes New $999,000 Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

AGP Franklin LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $999,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in AeroVironment by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,478,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $991,089,000 after buying an additional 433,830 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at $75,690,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 75.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $173,540,000 after acquiring an additional 262,239 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 550.7% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $56,115,000 after acquiring an additional 150,819 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 54.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 398,772 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $113,630,000 after purchasing an additional 139,880 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $309.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $15.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -247.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.16. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a current ratio of 5.08. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $287.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.39.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.43). The company had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.08% and a positive return on equity of 3.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total value of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,359,847.60. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503 in the last quarter. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on AeroVironment from $267.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.41.

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.