AWM Investment Company Inc. Grows Position in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• AWM Investment Company Inc. increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. by 6.7%, owning 129,793 shares valued at approximately $15.47 million, making it the firm's 13th largest position.
• Multiple institutional investors have also ramped up their holdings in AeroVironment, with significant increases from CoreCap Advisors LLC and MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB.
• AeroVironment garnered strong endorsements from analysts, with a majority rating it as a "Buy" and setting an average price target of $292.33, reflecting positive market sentiment.

AWM Investment Company Inc. lifted its position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,793 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 8,160 shares during the quarter. AeroVironment makes up 2.1% of AWM Investment Company Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned approximately 0.46% of AeroVironment worth $15,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 48.2% in the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 902,814 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $107,606,000 after buying an additional 293,553 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 41.0% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 763,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $91,000,000 after buying an additional 221,948 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 281.6% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 430,307 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $51,288,000 after buying an additional 317,530 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 423,317 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $65,144,000 after buying an additional 10,693 shares during the period. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 363,316 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $43,304,000 after buying an additional 30,123 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AVAV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush upgraded AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Sunday, June 29th. Zacks Research upgraded AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Sunday, June 29th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on AeroVironment in a report on Monday, August 4th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $292.33.

Insider Activity

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

AeroVironment Stock Down 4.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV traded down $11.47 on Thursday, hitting $226.76. 1,220,595 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 673,571. The firm's 50-day moving average is $254.31 and its 200 day moving average is $189.54. The company has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a PE ratio of 146.30 and a beta of 1.02. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $295.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a current ratio of 3.52.

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

AeroVironment Profile

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.