ARK Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 28.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 400,457 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 89,697 shares during the period. ARK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $126,100,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 433,830 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the second quarter worth about $75,690,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 262,239 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 150,819 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in 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 worth $113,630,000 after purchasing an additional 139,880 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $226.48 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -181.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $285.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $293.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.44 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 in the prior year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 150.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.400-3.550 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was 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 $19,258,997.62. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,589 shares of company stock worth $1,428,910. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a planned domestic manufacturing expansion (~$30M) to scale production — investors view this as a capacity and revenue-growth signal. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterated a Buy rating (high target), providing analyst support that cushions downside and signals confidence in the longer-term story. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company says it is in active negotiations with the U.S. Space Force on the SCAR contract amendment — management’s constructive update helped calm some investor concerns that had driven earlier selling. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Canaccord cut its price target (from $400 to $330) but kept a Buy — reflects confidence in long-term demand while flagging specific near-term program risk. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple brokers trimmed price targets (RBC, Baird, Piper) but many retained Outperform/Overweight ratings — analysts are moderating near-term upside while still acknowledging upside longer term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment will present at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference (management fireside chat) — provides direct investor access and could move the stock if management gives new color on SCAR, margins or bookings. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Raymond James downgraded AVAV to Underperform and commentary around the SCAR re‑competition triggered a heavy selloff earlier in the week — the downgrade amplified downside volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Space Force reopened bidding on mobile ground suppliers for the ~$1.4B SCAR program (recompete/rebid), creating contract-execution uncertainty that was the main driver of a ~15–17% one‑day drop earlier. This remains the principal near-term downside catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: a director sold 250 shares (small economically but negative in optics) — highlighted in filings and media coverage. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on AVAV. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on AeroVironment from $350.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.33.

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.