DNB Asset Management AS Increases Stake in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS increased its AeroVironment stake by 400.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 20,685 additional shares and ending with 25,853 shares valued at about $6.25 million.
• Several other institutional investors also made large moves in AVAV, and the stock remains heavily institutionally owned at 86.38%.
• AeroVironment reported Q4 earnings and revenue below expectations, while analysts have mostly stayed positive but trimmed price targets; the current consensus rating is Moderate Buy with a target price of $318.78.

DNB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 400.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,853 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,685 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS owned about 0.05% of AeroVironment worth $6,254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at about $314,890,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in AeroVironment by 24,798.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 315,716 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $99,416,000 after purchasing an additional 314,448 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position in AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 261,214 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $63,185,000 after purchasing an additional 260,072 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in AeroVironment by 3,880.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 206,607 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $65,058,000 after purchasing an additional 201,417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ghisallo Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in AeroVironment during the 3rd quarter valued at about $62,978,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

NASDAQ AVAV opened at $161.52 on Tuesday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.00 and a 12 month high of $417.86. The stock has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.22, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.35. The company's 50 day moving average is $192.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $252.95. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The firm had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. AeroVironment'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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total transaction of $40,577.50. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 1,846 shares of company stock worth $418,206 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

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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