Federated Hermes Inc. Makes New Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,344 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $738,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $225,000. Truist Financial Corp lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 22.1% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 5,610 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after buying an additional 1,014 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 14.0% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,151 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,468,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at $554,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its holdings in AeroVironment by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 5,900 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,681,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at $6,359,847.60. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total transaction of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 3,223 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,503 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Stock Up 8.6%

AVAV stock opened at $257.20 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $294.21. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -205.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 1.23. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $417.86.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AVAV. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment Company 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.