Nuveen LLC Takes Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

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Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 197,175 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $23,501,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 0.70% of AeroVironment at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AVAV. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,759,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% in the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $91,000,000 after purchasing an additional 221,948 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1,159.0% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 140,598 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $21,637,000 after purchasing an additional 129,431 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,158,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of AeroVironment by 17,752.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 80,692 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $9,618,000 after purchasing an additional 80,240 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AeroVironment

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Trading Up 3.3%

NASDAQ:AVAV traded up $7.7630 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $242.8330. 192,445 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 827,557. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 2.69. The firm has a market cap of $12.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 156.97 and a beta of 0.99. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.25 and a 52-week high of $295.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $184.87.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 24th. The aerospace company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $275.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.69 million. AeroVironment had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 10.68%. AeroVironment's revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Sunday, June 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $225.00 target price on shares of AeroVironment and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $335.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $305.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $286.46.

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses in the United States and internationally. It operates through Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS), Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Systems (HAPS) segments.