Geode Capital Management LLC Has $213.96 Million Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its AeroVironment stake by 8.8% in Q4, ending with 884,395 shares valued at about $213.96 million. Institutional investors now own the vast majority of the stock, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 86.38% overall.
• AeroVironment’s latest earnings missed analyst expectations, reporting $0.64 EPS versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $408.05 million versus $487.94 million estimated. Even so, revenue jumped 143.4% year over year, and the company issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.75 to 3.10.
• The stock is facing a mix of signals: insiders have sold shares recently, analysts remain mostly bullish with a Moderate Buy consensus, and the company is also dealing with a class action lawsuit while expanding production capabilities in Ohio.

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 884,395 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 71,903 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 1.77% of AeroVironment worth $213,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co acquired a new position in AeroVironment in the third quarter valued at $31,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the 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 sale, the director directly owned 49,251 shares in the company, valued at $7,993,929.81. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total transaction of $42,504.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,794 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,340.88. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,346 shares of company stock worth $274,456 in the last three months. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AeroVironment Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of AVAV stock opened at $204.35 on Wednesday. AeroVironment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.00 and a 52-week high of $417.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $185.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $241.01. The company has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -47.09, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 4.54 and a current ratio of 5.51.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $408.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. AeroVironment had a negative net margin of 13.93% and a positive return on equity of 3.26%. The firm's revenue was up 143.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AVAV. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AeroVironment from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AeroVironment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $389.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $330.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AeroVironment announced a $15 million expansion of advanced production capabilities in Ohio, a move that could support future growth and reinforce its domestic manufacturing base. AV to Expand Advanced Production Capabilities in Dayton Area
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted AeroVironment as a possible beneficiary of the broader defense-tech surge, reflecting continued investor interest in the sector. Top 5 Stocks That Will Profit From the Silicon Valley Defense Tech Surge
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said a class action lawsuit has been filed against AeroVironment and certain officers, adding another legal overhang for the shares. Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against AeroVironment, Inc. and Certain Officers – AVAV
• Negative Sentiment: Several other firms, including Frank R. Cruz, Schall, Bernstein Liebhard, Robbins Geller, Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, and Levi & Korsinsky, issued reminders or investor alerts tied to the same AVAV securities class action, keeping legal risk front and center for investors. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges AeroVironment, Inc. Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm

AeroVironment Profile

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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