Flputnam Investment Management Co. Purchases 1,300 Shares of AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in AeroVironment by 21.3% in Q1, owning 7,397 shares valued at approximately $882,000.
• AeroVironment reported earnings of $1.61 per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analyst estimates and indicating a 39.6% year-over-year revenue growth.
• CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares recently, marking a 12.40% decrease in his ownership, with the shares sold for a total of $4,550,765.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 21.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,397 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in AeroVironment were worth $882,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake 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 worth $91,000,000 after purchasing an additional 221,948 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 281.6% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 430,307 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $51,288,000 after purchasing an additional 317,530 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in 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 worth $65,144,000 after purchasing an additional 10,693 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 363,316 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $43,304,000 after purchasing an additional 30,123 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in AeroVironment by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 299,588 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $46,104,000 after purchasing an additional 31,789 shares during the period. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Down 4.8%

Shares of NASDAQ AVAV traded down $11.47 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $226.76. The company had a trading volume of 1,220,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 823,784. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 146.30 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.25 and a 1-year high of $295.90. The firm's 50 day moving average is $255.22 and its 200-day moving average is $189.06.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AVAV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $325.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Monday, June 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $301.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Finally, BTIG Research upped their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $225.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.33.

Insider Transactions at AeroVironment

In related news, CEO Wahid Nawabi sold 17,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.05, for a total value of $4,550,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,153,390.65. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

About AeroVironment

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.