AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Stock Holdings Increased by Fred Alger Management LLC

Fred Alger Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 346.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 58,773 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 45,606 shares during the quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC’s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $18,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State of Michigan Retirement System purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,393,000. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 28.9% in the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $126,100,000 after acquiring an additional 89,697 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 550.7% during 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. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter worth $2,355,000. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at $37,787,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on AVAV shares. Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

Key AeroVironment News

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment completed its acquisition of Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in a roughly $200M cash-and-stock deal — expanding UAS/AAM product lines, engineering depth, electric/hybrid propulsion capabilities and AS9100-certified manufacturing capacity, which should help scale production and defense program wins. Drone-maker AeroVironment buys aerospace engineering firm ESAero in $200 million deal
• Positive Sentiment: Mainstream media exposure for AVAV’s directed-energy / laser defense technology (CBS 60 Minutes) has renewed investor interest and visibility into product-market fit for counter-UAS missions; outlets note backlog strength and growing demand. AeroVironment Shows Lasers To Take Out Iran’s Drones. The Stock Is Rising.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and trade commentary highlight the company preparing for high-volume deployment of systems — supportive for revenue scaling if production ramps proceed as planned. AeroVironment Mobilizes For High-Volume Deployment
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures are effectively zero in recent data snapshots (days-to-cover ~0), which appears non-informative and unlikely to drive immediate pressure or squeezes.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry and long-term outlook pieces debate whether AVAV is a durable defense growth play or a risky, execution-dependent name — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Is AVAV Stock a Long-Term Defense Play or a Risky Bet?
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG trimmed AVAV’s price target (from $415 to $330) while keeping a Buy rating after the company’s most recent quarter — a sign analysts are tempering upside expectations and valuation support. BTIG Cuts AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV)’s Price Target To $330, Maintains Buy Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts issued downgrades/price-target pressure following the quarter that missed EPS and revenue expectations; that remains a near-term headwind until clearer execution on margin expansion and revenue cadence is shown. AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Shares Down 2.3% After Analyst Downgrade

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $75,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 50,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,000,300. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 value of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. Insiders own 0.81% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.3%

NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $211.88 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $279.28 and its 200-day moving average is $292.26. The company has a quick ratio of 4.54, a current ratio of 5.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.25 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The firm has a market cap of $10.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.AeroVironment’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

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.