1,000,000 Shares in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Purchased by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,000,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $314,890,000. AeroVironment comprises approximately 1.1% of Groupama Asset Managment’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 433,830 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 24,798.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AeroVironment during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $75,690,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in AeroVironment by 75.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 609,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $173,540,000 after purchasing an additional 262,239 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in AeroVironment by 3,880.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 206,607 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $65,058,000 after buying an additional 201,417 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition: AVAV closed a ~ $200M deal for Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero), expanding UAS/AAM engineering, AS9100 manufacturing and hybrid/electric propulsion capabilities — bolsters long‑term defense and product roadmap. AeroVironment Acquires ESAero
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly results showed strong top‑line growth ($408M, +143% YoY driven by BlueHalo) but AVAV missed consensus revenue and EPS; management set FY26 EPS guidance of $2.75–3.10 (below street consensus), creating mixed near‑term expectations. FQ3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor engagement: AVAV presented at the JPMorgan Industrials Conference (transcript available) — useful for detail and tone but not an immediate catalyst by itself. JPMorgan Presentation Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider moves: CAO Brian Shackley and director Stephen Page disclosed small share sales (200 and 250 shares); holdings remain substantial — routine but sometimes watched by investors. Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation/investigation risk: Pomerantz LLP has launched an investor investigation and other firms (Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman) are soliciting inquiries — increases headline and legal risk, which often pressures shares. Pomerantz Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst / sentiment pressure: BTIG trimmed its price target (from $415 to $330) and some media pieces highlight risks in AVAV’s profile — analyst cuts and negative commentary can weigh on sentiment despite strategic positives. BTIG Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Critical coverage: Articles calling out risks (operational or valuation) add downward pressure and may amplify selling in the short term. Critical Coverage

AeroVironment Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $215.85 on Thursday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.25 and a 1 year high of $417.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a PE ratio of -49.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $275.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $291.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AVAV. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective 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. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 4,924 shares of company stock worth $1,486,038 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.