NewEdge Wealth LLC Lowers Stake in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

NewEdge Wealth LLC trimmed its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 51.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,670 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 3,901 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $1,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on AVAV. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research raised AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $367.00.

Trending Headlines about AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bull case: a Seeking Alpha deep dive highlights the BlueHalo acquisition, the firm’s LOCUST directed‑energy progress, a $1.1B funded / $3B unfunded backlog and ~93% 2026 revenue visibility — analysts there model a fair value near $290, supporting upside vs. recent prices. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum note: The Motley Fool reports AVAV “climbed 15%” recently, citing an unexpected catalyst and increased Wall Street attention — this type of momentum can attract short‑term buyers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage: UBS initiated coverage with a “neutral” rating and a $259 price target (slightly below recent levels) — this provides more liquidity in analyst views but is unlikely to spark a major re‑rating on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access: AV’s CFO will appear at the Citizens Technology Conference (fireside chat March 2, to be webcast) — useful for incremental transparency but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: a Yahoo piece questions whether the recent ~33% pullback already prices in risk and examines DCF upside potential — highlights disagreement among investors on fair value, which can sustain volatility. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Critical take: a Seeking Alpha column titled “Shockingly Uninteresting” raises skeptical points on growth durability and excitement, which can reinforce selling pressure among more value‑oriented investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Noisy short‑interest reports: multiple feeds flagged a “large increase” in February short interest, but the published figures appear inconsistent/erroneous (zeros/NaN). Even so, headlines about rising shorts can trigger fear/stop‑loss selling and add to intraday downside.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $264.63 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $285.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $293.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The stock has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -211.70, a PEG ratio of 3.99 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 announced its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $472.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.16 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,504,014.48. This represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 4,339 shares of company stock valued at $1,353,910 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

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.