Blair William & Co. IL Grows Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 87,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,791 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL owned 0.17% of AeroVironment worth $27,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the 1st quarter valued at $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter worth $285,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $11,165,000 after buying an additional 4,869 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position 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 worth $113,630,000 after buying an additional 139,880 shares during the period. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. raised its position in shares of AeroVironment by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 2,275 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 475 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.60, for a total transaction of $367,232.40. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,589 shares of company stock valued at $1,428,910. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $415.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.33.

AeroVironment Trading Up 4.2%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $229.80 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $284.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a PE ratio of -183.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 5.08 and a quick ratio of 4.29.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its earnings results 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $466.16 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. AeroVironment’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. Research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a $97.4 million U.S. Army contract, reinforcing near-term revenue visibility and supporting demand for Switchblade and other tactical systems. This award is a concrete sales driver ahead of the company’s upcoming quarter. Benzinga: Army Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: Market commentary highlights AeroVironment as a core beneficiary of rising defense budgets and the shift to unmanned systems, which can attract buyers rotating into defense names. MarketBeat: Unmanned Profits
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalysts and investor access: management will present at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference (March 18) and Q3 earnings are due imminently — both could move the stock materially depending on guidance and margin commentary. Yahoo: JP Morgan Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate items with limited market impact: the company adopted a new executive deferred-compensation plan (administrative). TipRanks: Deferred Comp Plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in these feeds appears inconsistent (shows zero), so short-covering is not a clear driver from the published figures.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded AVAV from “hold” to “strong sell,” signaling downgrade-driven selling pressure from momentum or quant strategies. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts have cut forecasts or price targets (Robert W. Baird, Piper Sandler, RBC), increasing downside risk from lower sell-side expectations. Baird note Piper Sandler note RBC note
• Negative Sentiment: A shareholder class-action probe by Pomerantz introduces litigation risk and potential headline-driven volatility for investors. PR Newswire: Pomerantz Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings uncertainty: previews from Seeking Alpha and other outlets warn of margin/cost headwinds and specific program risks (the “1.4B problem”), which could pressure the stock if guidance or margins disappoint. Seeking Alpha: Q4 Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Recent sell-off commentary highlights a sizable pullback ahead of earnings and the potential for further downside if macro or company-specific headlines worsen. Yahoo: Reassessing AVAV Yahoo: Falls More Steeply

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.