Deepwater Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 28,885 AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Deepwater Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 28,885 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,987,000. AeroVironment accounts for approximately 2.0% of Deepwater Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in AeroVironment by 195.0% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 177 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,593,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,142,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AVAV. Clear Str raised AeroVironment to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. KeyCorp cut their price objective on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms announced or reiterated securities class-action claims against AeroVironment, saying investors who bought shares between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026 may pursue recovery, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. Article: AVAV Investors Have Opportunity to Lead AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: The complaints allege AeroVironment and certain executives made false or misleading statements, including claims tied to the company’s $1.7 billion SCAR contract, which raises uncertainty and potential legal costs. Article: SueWallSt Reminds Shareholders of a Lead Plaintiff Deadline of July 27, 2026 in AeroVironment, Inc. Lawsuit – AVAV
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional firms, including Faruqi & Faruqi, Rosen, Pomerantz, Robbins Geller, Berger Montague, and others, issued investor alerts about the same lawsuit, extending the news flow but adding little new business information. Article: AVAV INVESTOR ACTION: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Reminds AeroVironment (AVAV) Investors of Securities Class Action Deadline on July 27, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: A market note also said AeroVironment and peer Kratos Defense were trading lower, likely reflecting broader weakness in defense-drone names alongside the lawsuit headlines. Article: AeroVironment and Kratos stocks trade down, what you need to know

AeroVironment Price Performance

AeroVironment stock opened at $185.92 on Monday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.00 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $184.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.14. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -42.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.35.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The firm’s revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $53,130.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 49,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,573,082.52. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,346 shares of company stock valued at $274,456 over the last quarter. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.