AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets sharply cut its AeroVironment stake, selling 522,456 shares in the fourth quarter and reducing its position by 64.3%. Despite the sale, it still held 289,685 shares valued at about $70.1 million.
• AeroVironment is facing a class action lawsuit tied to alleged misstatements about the profitability and viability of its SCAR program, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. The legal news could add pressure if investors worry about reputational damage or further fallout.
• Recent business developments have been mixed: the company reported Q3 earnings and revenue below expectations, but it has also benefited from major U.S. government contract wins and production expansion plans. Analysts remain broadly positive overall, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.78.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 64.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 289,685 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 522,456 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.58% of AeroVironment worth $70,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 498 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Legacy Bridge LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 3,709 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 72.1% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 105 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting AeroVironment

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, Robbins LLP, Schall, and Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, announced or reminded investors about a class action lawsuit against AeroVironment covering purchases between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of July 27, 2026. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuit allegations center on claims that AeroVironment misled investors about the profitability and viability of its SCAR program and related business risks, which could pressure the stock if investors fear further legal fallout or reputational damage. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One market commentary noted that AeroVironment has benefited recently from major U.S. government contract wins and expansion plans, including a $20 million Air Force Research Laboratory contract and a $20.2 million investment to expand missile production capacity, which helps explain why the stock has had strong recent momentum. Article Title

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

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 value of $88,921.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares of the company's stock, 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 hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total value of $40,577.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 49,251 shares in the company, valued at $7,993,929.81. This trade represents a 0.51% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,346 shares of company stock valued at $274,456. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVAV has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. KeyCorp decreased their price target on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. 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 report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of AeroVironment stock opened at $204.09 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.51 and a quick ratio of 4.54. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.00 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $241.01.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last issued 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. The firm'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. On average, equities research analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AVAV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.