MYDA Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in AeroVironment, Inc. $AVAV

Key Points

• MYDA Advisors LLC disclosed a new stake in AeroVironment, buying 15,000 shares worth about $3.63 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership in AVAV remains high at 86.38%, and several other hedge funds recently added to or initiated positions in the aerospace company.
• Analysts have turned more cautious, with multiple firms cutting price targets; the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $318.78, while shares recently traded at $170.58.

MYDA Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $3,628,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its stake in AeroVironment by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 400,457 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $126,100,000 after purchasing an additional 89,697 shares in the last quarter. F m Investments LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,775,000. Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,355,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in AeroVironment by 92.2% in the 4th 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, GW&K Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in AeroVironment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $17,934,000. 86.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVAV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $400.00 to $350.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on AeroVironment from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial upgraded AeroVironment from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Clear Str upgraded AeroVironment to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVAV opened at $170.58 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $184.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.65. The stock has a market cap of $8.52 billion, a PE ratio of -39.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 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, Inc. has a one year low of $156.00 and a one year high of $417.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AeroVironment news, Director Stephen F. Page sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.31, for a total transaction of $40,577.50. Following the sale, the director owned 49,251 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,993,929.81. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

AeroVironment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: A class action lawsuit has been filed against AeroVironment and certain officers, with multiple firms encouraging affected shareholders to seek lead-plaintiff status before the July 27 deadline. Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against AeroVironment, Inc. and Certain Officers - AVAV
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuits and alerts allege investor harm tied to AeroVironment’s reliance on a single-vendor bespoke contract, which reportedly became vulnerable when the Space Force shifted toward multi-vendor commercial solutions. AVAV Shareholder Alert: AeroVironment, Inc. Securities Class Action Lawsuit - Investors Should Contact SueWallSt
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms, including Rosen, The Gross Law Firm, Schall, Faruqi & Faruqi, Bragar Eagel & Squire, and DJS Law Group, issued near-identical notices reminding investors of the pending class action and lead-plaintiff deadline, reinforcing legal risk sentiment around the name. ROSEN, GLOBAL INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages AeroVironment, Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline in Securities Class Action - AVAV

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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