Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 110,705 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 60.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,936 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 110,705 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $22,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in AeroVironment by 60.0% in the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 60.3% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in AeroVironment by 0.6% during the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,023 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,286,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 3.9% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total value of $367,232.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,359,847.60. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,223 shares of company stock worth $1,092,503. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 8.6%

Shares of AeroVironment stock opened at $257.20 on Friday. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $286.98 and a 200-day moving average of $294.43. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The stock has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of -205.76, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on AVAV. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $390.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

About AeroVironment

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.