391,316 Shares in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Acquired by Norges Bank

Key Points

• Norges Bank disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in AeroVironment, buying 391,316 shares valued at about $94.7 million. The stake represented roughly 0.78% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with AeroVironment holding a Moderate Buy consensus and a target price of $318.78, though several firms recently cut their price targets. Wall Street Zen was the only notable downgrade mentioned, moving the stock from hold to sell.
• The company’s latest earnings missed expectations, reporting $0.64 EPS on revenue of $408.1 million versus forecasts for higher revenue and slightly better earnings. Shares were also pressured by reports of securities class-action lawsuits tied to alleged misleading statements about the company’s SCAR contract.

Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 391,316 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $94,655,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.78% of AeroVironment as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,495 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 14,929 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,611,000 after acquiring an additional 2,299 shares during the last quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the 4th quarter worth approximately $218,000. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,923 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at $3,598,638.30. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 1,346 shares of company stock worth $274,456 in the last ninety days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AeroVironment Trading Down 9.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $185.92 on Friday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.00 and a 12-month high of $417.86. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $184.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.46. The company has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of -42.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More AeroVironment News

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 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.

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