F m Investments LLC Makes New Investment in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• F m Investments LLC opened a new position in AeroVironment during the fourth quarter, buying 7,336 shares valued at about $1.775 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with several other funds increasing stakes and 86.38% of the stock now owned by institutional investors.
• AeroVironment reported quarterly earnings and revenue that missed analyst estimates, even though revenue still rose sharply year over year; meanwhile, analysts have trimmed price targets but maintain a Moderate Buy consensus.

F m Investments LLC bought a new position in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 7,336 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,775,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 50.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,588 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 267.2% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,511 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,575,000 after acquiring an additional 4,738 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 22,773.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 92.2% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,173 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,168,000 after purchasing an additional 9,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of AeroVironment by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd now owns 2,470 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $597,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Price Performance

AVAV stock opened at $168.29 on Monday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $159.64 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86. The business's 50-day moving average is $202.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $263.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51. The company has a market cap of $8.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -38.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.35.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 879 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.60, for a total transaction of $235,220.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,422 shares in the company, valued at $4,394,527.20. This represents a 5.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 2,975 shares of company stock worth $740,324 in the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AVAV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $390.00 to $305.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded AeroVironment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on AeroVironment from $391.00 to $290.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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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