State of Michigan Retirement System Invests $2.39 Million in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

State of Michigan Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 7,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,393,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% in the 3rd 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 during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 13.5% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 8,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,299,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the period. Rheos Capital Works Inc. bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter worth approximately $37,787,000. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in AeroVironment by 1.4% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 346,999 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,745 shares during the period. Finally, Traynor Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,121,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $243.42 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $286.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $294.18. The stock has a market cap of $12.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -194.74, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.23. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $102.25 and a one year high of $417.86.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on AeroVironment from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $400.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $378.06.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company hires a senior Washington operations lead to strengthen government engagement — AV announced Stephen Voline as Senior Director, Washington Operations to support Congressional, DoD and national-security stakeholder engagement, which could help win future defense contracts and improve program win rates. AV Welcomes Stephen Voline
• Positive Sentiment: Media suggests AVAV is repositioning toward defense wins — a Yahoo Finance piece highlights the new DC hire alongside a reported USAF deal, framing this as a strategic shift toward larger defense programs that could sustainably boost revenues if follow-through occurs. Is AeroVironment Quietly Repositioning?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports show zero shares (data appears inconsistent) — filings for Feb. 10–11 list 0 shorted shares and a 0.0 days-to-cover figure, which looks like a reporting anomaly and is not meaningful evidence of a changing short-seller stance. (No reliable link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Company CFO sold shares — CFO Kevin Patrick McDonnell sold 879 shares at an average $267.60 (roughly a 5.08% reduction in his holdings), a transaction disclosed in an SEC filing that can raise investor concern about insider conviction even though the remaining stake is still material. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/market notes highlight recent share weakness and underperformance — Zacks pieces report recent daily and three-month declines, noting AVAV has lagged peers despite new defense contracts and strong liquidity, which likely amplifies selling pressure and negative sentiment. AVAV Falls More Steeply AVAV Underperforms Industry

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,589 shares of company stock valued at $1,157,685 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

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.