AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Stake Boosted by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) by 17.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 288,450 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 43,610 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.57% of AeroVironment worth $41,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in AeroVironment during the first quarter worth $28,000. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 86.38% of the company’s stock.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of AeroVironment stock opened at $113.23 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 4.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.42. AeroVironment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.95 and a twelve month high of $408.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $183.49.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.37. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 5.77% and a positive return on equity of 4.04%. The firm had revenue of $480.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2027 guidance at 3.020-3.340 EPS. Analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.27, for a total transaction of $38,067.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 48,253 shares in the company, valued at $7,347,484.31. This trade represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Shackley sold 205 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $41,381.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,592,271.68. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 805 shares of company stock valued at $142,671. 0.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Friday, October 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $237.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on AeroVironment from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $223.86.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: AeroVironment amended its revolving credit facility, which may provide additional financing flexibility; the available report does not specify the revised terms or their expected financial effect. Article: AeroVironment Expands Revolving Credit Facility Through Amendment
• Neutral Sentiment: A review of recent results notes that revenue and net income improved, but cites contract issues, lawsuits and goodwill write-downs as factors that have weighed on shareholder returns. Article: What AeroVironment Investors Missed Before A 52% Fall
• Negative Sentiment: A key overhang is the U.S. Space Force’s decision to halt work on a BlueHalo-related contract worth about $1.7 billion and reopen bidding to other suppliers. The change raises uncertainty about contract prospects and competition for AeroVironment. Article: AeroVironment Could Be 19% Overvalued After Contract Bid Reopened
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are reassessing AeroVironment’s fair value amid concerns about defense funding, adding to uncertainty around future growth expectations. Article: AeroVironment Stock Fair Value Edges Lower As Analysts Reassess Defense Funding Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation commentary argues the shares may still be expensive relative to the company’s sales despite a steep year-long decline; another assessment estimates they could be overvalued. These concerns may limit investor appetite while expectations reset. Article: AeroVironment Stock May Be Expensive On Its 66% Slump
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp cut its price target for AVAV, signaling a less favorable analyst outlook. Article: AeroVironment Stock Price Target Cut by KeyCorp

AeroVironment Company Profile

AeroVironment, Inc is a defense technology company that develops and supplies uncrewed aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-uncrewed-aircraft systems, space systems and related autonomous technologies. Its products are designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, precision strike, tactical communications and other defense and security missions.

The company’s portfolio includes the Raven, Puma and Quantix unmanned aircraft systems; the JUMP 20 vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft; and the Switchblade family of loitering munitions.