Virtu Financial LLC Acquires New Shares in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,834 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,169,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVAV. ARK Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in AeroVironment by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $126,100,000 after buying an additional 89,697 shares during the period. F m Investments LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,775,000. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth about $2,355,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 92.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,168,000 after buying an additional 9,675 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter valued at about $94,655,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $169.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a PE ratio of -39.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $182.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.10. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.00 and a 1 year high of $417.86.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.41, for a total value of $43,602.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,546,264.41. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 750 shares of company stock worth $133,502. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AVAV. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. BTIG Research lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $415.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: A class action has been filed against AeroVironment, and multiple law firms are urging investors to come forward before the July 27 lead-plaintiff deadline, signaling ongoing legal overhang for the company. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several additional firms issued nearly identical investor alerts on June 18-19, reinforcing concerns about the securities lawsuit and keeping litigation risk front and center for AVAV shareholders. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One notice specifically references alleged securities fraud tied to the class period from June 25, 2025 through March 10, 2026, which may keep pressure on the stock until more clarity emerges. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment also announced an investor day in New York on July 8, which could help rebuild confidence if management provides a strong business outlook and strategic updates. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Separately, AVAV shares had recently moved higher than the broader market, suggesting some traders may still see value or expect a rebound despite the litigation headlines. Article Title

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.