Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 92,090 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group Inc. sharply increased its AeroVironment stake in the fourth quarter, buying 92,090 additional shares and lifting its holdings to 97,890 shares worth about $23.7 million.
• AeroVironment reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings per share of $0.64 missing estimates and revenue of $408.05 million also below forecasts, though revenue still rose 143.4% year over year.
• The stock has also been pressured by class-action lawsuit headlines tied to alleged misleading statements, even as Wall Street analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $318.78.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 1,587.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 97,890 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 92,090 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. owned about 0.20% of AeroVironment worth $23,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment in the third quarter worth $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $185.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.00 and a twelve month high of $417.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.46.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,993,929.81. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 1,346 shares of company stock worth $274,456 over the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting AeroVironment

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on AeroVironment from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial upgraded AeroVironment from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.78.

About AeroVironment

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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