AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV Shares Sold by Pinnacle Associates Ltd.

Key Points

• Pinnacle Associates Ltd. cut its AeroVironment stake by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,153 shares and leaving it with 74,630 shares valued at about $18.1 million.
• AeroVironment’s latest earnings missed Wall Street estimates, with EPS of $0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $408.05 million versus $487.94 million expected, even though sales jumped 143.4% year over year.
• Despite recent weakness in the stock, the company continues to secure defense-related work, including a $43 million Department of War contract and an Army prototype agreement for its Switchblade 400 system.

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,630 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 17,153 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. owned 0.15% of AeroVironment worth $18,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,530,073 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,111,585,000 after purchasing an additional 51,959 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter worth $314,890,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 686,273 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $216,101,000 after purchasing an additional 101,713 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 614,444 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $193,390,000 after purchasing an additional 83,322 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 504,270 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $143,692,000 after purchasing an additional 73,963 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.38% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

Shares of AVAV opened at $160.99 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.55. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.04 billion, a PE ratio of -37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.35. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.00 and a 52-week high of $417.86.

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). The company had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment won a three-year, $43 million Department of War contract to integrate its PANTHER phased-array antenna system on SkyRange platforms, expanding its role in hypersonic telemetry and weapons-testing infrastructure. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company also secured an Army prototype agreement for the Switchblade 400 under the LASSO program, reinforcing demand for its loitering munition systems and broader defense portfolio. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management is emphasizing AI-enabled multi-domain autonomy, including Kinesis command software and MacCready Works, which could support future growth in coordinated defense missions. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: AVAV presented at the Bank of America Industrials, Transportation and Airlines Key Leaders Conference, which may have helped keep investors focused on the company’s strategy, but no major new catalyst was disclosed. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary has flagged AVAV as technically weak and potentially headed toward new 52-week lows, reflecting bearish sentiment around the shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has also been weighed by the company’s latest earnings report, which missed revenue and EPS expectations, reinforcing concerns about near-term execution despite strong year-over-year growth.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total transaction of $88,921.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This trade represents a 2.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,096 shares of company stock worth $505,103. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AVAV. Weiss Ratings cut shares of AeroVironment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two equities research 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, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $318.78.

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.

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