Morse Asset Management Inc Purchases New Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,816 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $887,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AVAV. State of Michigan Retirement System purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,393,000. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of AeroVironment by 28.9% during 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 period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $56,115,000 after acquiring an additional 150,819 shares in the last quarter. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. bought a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth approximately $2,355,000. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth $37,787,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 2.3%

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $211.88 on Tuesday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.25 and a 52 week high of $417.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $279.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $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. The firm has a market cap of $10.58 billion, a PE ratio of -48.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.26.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $487.94 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment’s revenue 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, sell-side analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment completed the acquisition of Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $200 million, adding engineering depth, AS9100-certified UAS manufacturing, electric/hybrid propulsion expertise and advanced air mobility capability — a clear near-term lift to production capacity and longer-term product pipeline. Drone-maker AeroVironment buys aerospace engineering firm ESAero in $200 million deal
• Positive Sentiment: The ESAero deal is positioned to expand AVAV’s manufacturing footprint and UAS/AAM product set, potentially supporting higher-volume deployments and contract wins as defense customers seek broader solutions. AeroVironment Expands Manufacturing Capacity, UAS Products, With ESAero Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Media exposure boosted visibility: a CBS 60 Minutes segment spotlighting AeroVironment’s laser/defense capabilities and related coverage has coincided with notes of stronger backlog (reported ~47% y/y increase), which supports revenue scaling expectations. AeroVironment (AVAV) Stock Gains Ground Following 60 Minutes Laser Defense Showcase
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG lowered its price target to $330 from $415 but kept a Buy rating, signaling ongoing analyst conviction amid tempered near-term expectations after the company’s recent quarter. This is an analyst re-rating rather than a change in fundamental view. BTIG Cuts AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV)’s Price Target To $330, Maintains Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures in mid‑March showed anomalous/zero values and appear inconclusive; current data do not suggest a meaningful short squeeze or persistent short pressure. (Data item reported internally)
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm (Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman) is soliciting AeroVironment investors to inquire about a securities investigation, which could herald potential shareholder litigation or disclosures that create legal/financial uncertainty. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC Encourages AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) Investors to Inquire about Securities Investigation

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp dropped their price target on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AeroVironment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.78.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $75,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,001 shares in the company, valued at $15,000,300. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at $3,598,638.30. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 4,474 shares of company stock valued at $1,390,404 in the last quarter. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.