M&T Bank Corp Raises Holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp increased its stake by 388.3% in Q4, buying 30,649 shares to hold 38,542 shares of AeroVironment (about 0.08% of the company) valued at $9.32 million.
• AeroVironment missed recent quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $408.1M versus $487.9M expected, though revenue was up 143.4% year‑over‑year and management guided FY2026 EPS to $2.75–3.10 (analysts expect 2.94).
• Analysts are broadly positive with a consensus target of $318.78 ("Moderate Buy"), but the stock trades near $196 with a negative P/E and insiders have been net sellers (2,975 shares sold, ~$740k, in the last three months).

M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) by 388.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,542 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,649 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp owned approximately 0.08% of AeroVironment worth $9,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 60.0% in the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its stake in shares of AeroVironment by 100.0% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the third quarter worth about $29,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AeroVironment stock opened at $196.28 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $213.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $275.05. 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 stock has a market cap of $9.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.23, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.38. AeroVironment, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $147.17 and a fifty-two week high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). The firm 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 business's revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.30 earnings per share. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AeroVironment, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AeroVironment

In other news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.52, for a total value of $42,504.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,231,340.88. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Mcdonnell sold 396 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.55, for a total value of $88,921.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,026 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,598,638.30. This represents a 2.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,975 shares of company stock valued at $740,324. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AVAV shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $325.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of AeroVironment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of AeroVironment from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AeroVironment currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.78.

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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