Fifth Third Bancorp Increases Stock Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in AeroVironment, Inc. by 3,191.8% in the second quarter, now owning 2,798 shares valued at $797,000.
• Other institutional investors have also significantly increased their holdings in AeroVironment, with hedge funds owning 86.38% of the stock.
• AeroVironment reported earnings of $0.32 per share, missing expectations, despite a 140% year-over-year revenue increase to $454.68 million.

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 3,191.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,798 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,713 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in AeroVironment were worth $797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 41.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 221,948 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 17,873 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,669 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 94.8% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 4,415 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $526,000 after acquiring an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,142,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AeroVironment by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 139,835 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $16,667,000 after acquiring an additional 3,183 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV opened at $301.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.96. AeroVironment, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.25 and a fifty-two week high of $307.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.04 billion, a PE ratio of -470.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $257.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $204.09.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 9th. The aerospace company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.02). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 4.67% and a negative net margin of 4.14%.The business had revenue of $454.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.16 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. AeroVironment's revenue was up 140.0% on a year-over-year basis. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.600-3.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 122,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup initiated coverage on AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Wedbush raised AeroVironment to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised AeroVironment from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $295.23.

AeroVironment Company 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.

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